14 Days to Christmas
by yeti of me
Summary: Troy and Gabriella have been best friends and neighbours since young so they share a close bond with each other. This year, Troy is coming back home for Christmas, after not returning for 3 years and everyone missed him like crazy, especially Gabriella. But what happens when Troy finds out that his best friend already has a boyfriend of 2 years?
1. Going Home

**Chapter 1: Going Home**

**10 December 2012, 5:03PM  
New Land Times Company, Main Office Building**

It was just like any ordinary office building. A high-rise infrastructure, level after level of various departments, filled with workers and their bosses. Desk after desk, a person would be sitting behind one, tiding up their work desk, or would be seen furiously typing into the computer, finishing up their last bit of paperwork before they finally head back home to enjoy the rest of their holiday. Today was no exception.

It was the last day of work for the year before they had to come back again after New Year's Day. This year, the company had allowed their employees to leave earlier to spend a longer holiday with their friends and family, before they have to report back to be burdened with all the work again. Of course, everyone approved of this proposal the heads have made and this year, they were able to take a breather and enjoy for a longer period, to catch up on what they might have missed back home.

At this hour, most of the workers have already left. Some have taken a half day leave to catch their flight back home. Others, who stayed in the city, would stay till 5, if not, they would also take the day off to clear their leave and have another extra day of relaxation, away from work. As the levels ascend, the level of importance of the department rises. At the second last floor, there are only a few desks and another private room. In the private room, the head sits and outside, only two more employees are left.

Their head packs his bag and leaves, saying goodbye to his other two workers who were left. At the far end of this floor, right by the window, sits a male of aged 25. His desk was spotlessly white as he had just cleared all his paperwork. He packed his belongings, shoving folders and loose pieces of papers into his bag. Diagonally across him sits a female of aged 21. New and unfamiliar, she becomes an assistant of the male. Her name is Jessica Turner. The male, and also the editor of the company, is Troy Bolton.

"Mr. Bolton," his assistant says, "You really have to get going now, or you'll miss your flight back home," she reminded him.

"Oh, right," Troy let out a huge sigh – one that was relieved to be free from all these work till next year. "I guess I really have to rush now. Damn."

The silence was disturbed by the printer of his assistant as it hummed to produce a piece of paper. The blonde girl handed the paper to Troy.

"It's for your flight and everything. I've got it all covered. All you have to do is get there by 7, show them this and you're good to go," she informed him, proud of herself that she was so efficient.

"Oh, thank you so much, Jess," he gushed while he put the remaining stationary into his bag and zipped it up.

"No problem, Mr. Bolton. Enjoy your holiday," his assistant wished him a quick 'Happy Holidays' and went off. They would not see each other again until next year.

Troy stood up from his seat and slung his bag over his right shoulder. Grabbing the last item on the table, which was the keys to the office, he walked out of the glass doors and bent down to lock up. Once he was certain the doors are secure, he jabbed the elevator button, tapping his foot as he waited for the metal doors to slide open to allow him to enter.

The inverted triangle at the top of the doors lit up with a red glow and a soft "ding", and the doors opened which Troy stepped into, pressing the button to head down to the lobby. He waved goodbye to some of his colleagues and even caught a glimpse of his assistant getting into her boyfriend's car through the glass sliding door of the building, ready to go celebrating their Christmas holidays together. He smiled at that sight and only one person dominated his thoughts then. He hadn't seen her for three years, and hasn't talked to her for a few months already, due to his busy working life. He just can't wait to see her again.

Thereafter, he exited the main building to head to the main road and hailed a cab to go back to his apartment. Once in a yellow taxi, he reached into his pocket and dug out his phone, which he was immediately greeted by a picture of him and his best friend, Gabriella Montez, goofing off the last time they spent the holidays together, three years ago. His thumbs moved over the keypad and he dialed an all-too-familiar number.

"**Hello?" The voice on the other end sounded distracted.**

"Hey, Brie! I'm so glad you can pick up this call!" Troy practically exclaimed and jumped in his seat at the back, earning a glare from the driver, but Troy merely glanced at the driver apologetically before he continued to talk to his best friend.

"**Troy? Oh, my gosh! Troy! I missed you so much!" Gabriella squealed, her brown orbs lit up the moment she heard her best friend's voice.**

"Aww, I missed you too, Brie. So, is everything good there?" Troy smiled into the receiver as he listened to her talk briefly about every single one of their family and friends.

"**When are you coming home, Troy? Everyone misses you like shit," Gabriella moaned and pouted, even though she knew he couldn't see it.**

Troy chuckled at how cute she was when she swore as he paid the driver and got out of the cab and up to his apartment block.

"Right now," he answered simply, using his shoulder to hold his phone in place while he fumbled for his house keys and unlocked his door.

"**Really? What time's your flight? If I have time, I'll pick you up at the airport," she was all hyped up at the fact that her best friend was coming home real soon.**

"I land tomorrow at 11. Are we having lunch with our families? Or am I eating with you?" Troy asked as he took his phone back into his palm and put down his bag.

"**I'll let you know tomorrow? I'm pretty sure I'm the only one right now that knows you're coming home tomorrow," she scolded him softly.**

He grinned cheekily and reminded her, "You're my best friend, Elle. You _have_ to be the first to know everything about me."

**At that, she couldn't help but smile.**

"**True, Bolton. Very true," she said with a mischievous glint evident in her eyes.**

"Ah, anyway, I have to go now. You don't want me missing my flight, do you?" he asked amusedly.

"**Absolutely not," she told him seriously.**

"Alright, so just text me the plan for tomorrow and I guess I'll see you then," Troy confirmed.

"**Definitely. See you tomorrow, Troy. Take care," she smiled into the phone she was grasping to so tightly in her hand that it looked like she was trying to crush the phone. She was evidently extremely ecstatic at the fact that her best friend will soon be coming back home, where he belongs.**

"See you tomorrow, Elle. You take care too," Troy said before he hung up and jumped into the shower.

/

**10 December 2012, 8:09PM  
New Land International Airport, Gate 6**

He had successfully remembered to bring the piece of paper handed to him by his assistant to the airport, where he took his plane ticket and checked in his luggage bags. He had worn a black pullover, with a pair of jeans and black sneakers. His blue Crumpler bag was slung over his shoulder as he approached the 'Departures' and walked for a good ten minutes, even on the horizontal escalator, before he got to Gate 6. By looking at his dressing, you could not even tell that he was 25, but an 18-year-old. He still had his 'baby face' and also the child in him, and would never give up on an opportunity to just have fun, especially with his best friend.

After entering the gate, he moved, with a few hundreds of people, into the airplane cabin and quickly found his seat. He was scheduled to land at 6am at Trident City International Airport the following day and then he had to charter a boat to take him to a town that was linked to the city by a long wooden bridge. The bridge had been there for centuries, and has become a popular tourist attraction, so no one bothered with it, or demolished it. After three hours in that boat, he would finally get to Trident Town, his homeland.

He smiled at that thought and quickly got comfortable in his seat, falling asleep as the plane took off, taking him closer to his destination with every passing second.

/

**10 December 2012, 8:52PM  
The Montez' Place, Trident Town**

"MUM," a 24-year-old woman with long, wavy brunette hair screamed from the top of the stairs, "TROY'S COMING HOME!"

She thundered down the wooden staircase and repeated herself continually, jumping up and down on the balls of her feet, like a little girl on Christmas Day. She ran to her 75-year-old grandmother and squealed, "Grandma, Troy's coming home!"

Her grandmother smiled and merely told her, "Well, that's great dear."

"What time does he land?" her mother, Maria, asked.

"Tomorrow at 11," Gabriella replied, and then added, "I'm going to pick him up. And lunch?"

"We have our last session of Pilates tomorrow, why don't you go with Lucile and Grandma Joe?" Maria suggested.

"Well that would be a good idea. I'm sure they would want to go with you. The Boltons miss their only son dearly," her grandmother, Florence, agreed.

"Okay, I'm going to call them and then get an early night because I have to leave this house by 8 if I want to get there on time," Gabriella announced as she skipped up the stairs.

"You can take the car, Gabi, so you don't have to wake up that early to catch the bus. I'll leave the keys on the counter," Maria told her daughter and she ran down the stairs again, giving her mother a hug.

"Thanks Mum! You're the best!" Gabriella held on to her mother while her grandmother looked at them with mock disapproval.

"Well, what about your grandmother, dear?" Grandma Florence asked of her hug.

"You're the best, too, Grandma. I love you both!" She squealed and went up into her room and closed the door behind her.

When they were certain Gabriella was out of earshot, Maria whispered to her mother, where they both sat on the couch, "So, when do you think they'll be getting together? They're already in their mid-twenties, you know?"

Florence did some calculations in her head.

"Well, it has been three years since that young chap came back to visit, so this might very well be the trigger to help them realize what they can both accomplish together. Oh, and don't forget Jacob. I heard he's coming back for Christmas as well. When the two of them meet, things are bound to get ugly, don't you think," Florence replied with a smirk, already imagining the scenario in her head.

"I suppose so."

"So, according to my calculations, I'm sure they'll be together by Christmas Day," Florence finally made her hypothesis statement.

"How much are you betting on it this time, Mum?" Maria laughed incredulously at her prediction of Christmas Day.

"Oh, this time I'm positively sure, so I'll be betting five hundred dollars. If they don't get together by then, you get double. But if I'm right and they do, triple," the old lady with graying hair smiled to herself, knowing that this time, she _will_ come up victorious.

"Whoa, mother, don't you think that's a little _too _much?" Her daughter raised her brows and looked at her own mother skeptically.

"Nothing is too much for me, dear. Now, go get some sleep. I'm tired," Florence said, while she maneuvered herself from the couch to the stairs to head up for sleep.

In the living room, Maria still sat where she was and sighed out amusedly. "If mother is right this year, we will definitely be throwing a party and I will definitely need to be juggling two jobs to pay her!" she laughed, before going to her room herself to get some shuteye.

/

**11 December 2012, 7:03AM  
The Montez' Place, Trident Town**

"I'm leaving!" Gabriella declared as she stood at the kitchen counter with the keys, wearing a buttoned-up blouse and a mini jean shorts.

"Alright, dear, and we will be walking to our Pilates class. We'll be home after lunch," Grandma Florence told her of her plan while Gabriella frowned.

"Why don't I drop you and Mum off at the studio? It's on the way there anyway," Gabriella suggested and grabbed both her grandmother and mother's hands.

"Well, thank you dear," her grandmother grinned and walked out with her gear to put on her shoes.

Gabriella then hastily slipped on her flip flops before going to her neighbour's house. She knocked on the door.

"Gabi!" The door was opened by Grandma Joe and she pulled Gabriella into a hug.

"Good morning, Grandma Joe!" Gabriella greeted with equal enthusiasm.

"We were just heading over to your place," Grandma Joe said as she let go of Gabriella.

"Oh, that's great! We were just leaving, so I came to call you and Mrs. Bolton," Gabriella told her.

"Please, Gabi, call me Lucile," a woman in her mid-forties came out behind Grandma Joe and smiled at her.

"No, that'd be too rude, _Mrs. Bolton_," Gabriella stressed, and gave Troy's mother a wink.

"Honey, we have to go now!" Grandma Florence called out from the other side of the fence, where she stood beside the car, ready to get in.

"Coming, Grandma!" Gabriella shouted back, before she beckoned Lucile and Grandma Joe to get to the car.

"Oh, it's the last lesson I don't want to miss it because the instructor is just _too_ cute!" Grandma Florence exclaimed, like a teenage girl gushing about her crush.

They all got in the car chuckling and shaking their heads, squeezing a little as they took off for the airport, but first, dropping off Maria and Grandma Florence at the studio.

/

**11 December 2012, 10:48AM  
Trident Town Airport, Arrivals Gate 6**

The three ladies walked in through the doors of the small airport. There were ten gates there and Troy could be landing in any one of them. Gabriella took out her phone to check if Troy had sent her anything or not. She then checked the screen to see that there would be a flight arriving at 11 from New Land City, which was at Gate 6. They then walked to the sixth gate.

"It's not yet 11, so I don't think Troy has landed yet," Gabriella said, walking away from the sixth gate to sit down on one of the benches nearby.

"You're right, let's just wait for him," Lucile said as she and Grandma Joe took a seat beside Gabriella.

"Does anyone want coffee?" Gabriella asked the moment her eyes wandered around only to have it land on Starbucks.

Lucile asked for peppermint tea, while Grandma Joe asked for earl grey tea. Gabriella nodded and walked to the store to get their orders and her latte. She queued up, not forgetting to check her phone one more time for any messages or calls from Troy.

"Hi, can I have one – Oh, my gosh, Tay!" Gabriella was going to order but then realized that her other best friend, apart from Troy, was standing behind the counter.

"Hi, Gabi! What brings you here?" Taylor asked with a smile on her face.

"Troy's coming home today!" she said excitedly while Taylor just laughed.

"Honey, you're already 24 going 25," Taylor reminded her and they continued to laugh.

"Okay, so I would like a peppermint tea, an earl grey tea and a latte," Gabriella ordered.

"Coming right up!" Taylor said, making the teas.

"So, why're you here? I thought you were still in school?" Gabriella asked while waiting for her order.

"Oh, I'm just working part time here while I attend university to earn some extra money. But don't worry Gabi, I'll be off the clock soon," Taylor explained, while she made Gabriella's orders.

"Thanks, Tay! I'll see you soon!" Gabriella said, walking to Lucile and Grandma Joe with three cups in her hands and a smile on her face.

/

**11 December 2012, 11:36AM  
Trident Town Airport, At the Benches near Gate 6**

"I thought Troy said he'd be here by 11? Where is he?" Grandma Joe and Lucile started to panic.

As if on cue, Gabriella's phone began to ring and 'Chasing Cars' played out. It was Troy's ringtone, which meant that Troy's the one who's calling.

"Troy, where are you? We're already at the Arrivals Gate waiting for you!" Gabriella said worriedly into the phone the moment she picked up the call.

"Hey, Brie," Troy sighed with an eye-roll because it was so typical of his best friend to be so anxious over him.

"Well, where are you?" Gabriella asked impatiently.

"Um, why don't you all wait for me at Gate, uh, 6, and I'll meet you there. I'm almost done here, so just wait a couple of minutes for me," Troy said slowly, an ingenious plan forming in his mind, because he already came out through Gate 10 and saw the three ladies looking out for him at Gate 6.

He smiled to himself, pleased with himself. He was planning to give them all a surprise since it has been three years since he came home. He had taken a boat from New Land City to Trident Town, but he didn't tell Gabriella, so they didn't know he was going to be arriving from Gate 10. Walking down the corridor, he inhaled deeply the air of the airport, ever-so glad to be back home with his family, friends, and Gabriella.

His smile grew wider as he walked closer to the three ladies. He just couldn't take his eyes off of the 24-year-old beauty leaning forward on railings, looking out for him at Gate 6. From behind, he greeted his mother and grandmother, telling them to keep quiet by placing his finger on his lips.

"Hey, Mum, hey, Grandma," Troy whispered into their ears so that his best friend standing approximately ten feet away couldn't hear.

Gabriella was still looking out for Troy, oblivious to his presence. Troy kissed both his Mum and Grandma on the cheeks before letting go of his baggage and Crumpler bag to creep up behind his best friend furtively. He let his arms snake around her waist from behind and lifted her up from the ground and turned her to face his two family members, which she screamed before realizing who it was that picked her up.

"TROY!" Gabriella squealed as she was being put down and she threw her arms around Troy's neck.

"Hey, Brie," Troy husked into her ear, his hands around her body, making her shiver slightly before he smiled into her hair and said, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you so much too, Troy," Gabriella admitted softly, burying her head into her best friend's shoulder.

Troy moved his hand from Gabriella's lower back to the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. Both stayed like this for a while with their eyes shut, both ecstatic to finally be able to spend the holidays together. In the distance, Taylor Mckessie stood at the counter of where she was working and gazed at the two best friends' tight embrace, letting a huge grin dominate her features, at the same time, she sighed to herself, "Aww, aren't they cute together?"

Troy then let go of his best friend when his stomach rumbled and he looked away in mock embarrassment. He could never be embarrassed in front of Gabriella, considering how much they have been through.

"I think that calls for lunch!" Grandma Joe exclaimed, referring to Troy's growling stomach.

Troy grinned as Gabriella giggled, trying to poke fun at him. He picked up his baggage, while Gabriella took his Crumpler bag for him, earning a "thank you" from Troy.

"Where's my present?" Gabriella asked, walking beside Troy. "Is it in here?" She lifted up his Crumpler bag slightly which Troy shook his head.

"Nope. It's way too big to fit in this one," he told her cheekily and gave her a wink that meant 'you'll see'.

Gabriella smirked and bumped her hip playfully against Troy's. Troy chuckled and bumped hers right back before saying, "I'll give it to you tonight."

Gabriella smiled with satisfaction and the four of them then headed to a nearby restaurant at the airport for lunch.

And Troy thought to himself, 'It's so good to be back' before he placed an arm around his best friend's shoulder and squeezed it, as they both shared a smile.

/

**11 December 2012, 3:48PM  
In Gabriella's car, On the Way to Troy's Place**

"So, honey," Lucile began, "What are you going to do first when you get home?"

The four of them are on the way home from the airport after lunch, Troy taking the wheels. Grandma Joe took the passengers' seat, while Gabriella sat behind Troy with Lucile at the back. Troy fidgeted slightly in his seat before he looked at his mother from the rear view mirror.

"I'm gonna go sleep," Troy said as a matter-of-factly.

Grandma Joe smirked with an amused sigh and looked out the window, thinking, 'That is so typical of my grandson.' Lucile, on the other hand, wasn't too thrilled with his answer.

"Troy, shouldn't you go and have a little talk with your father?" Lucile reprimanded him, her brows furrowed, before she continued, "Or at least visit everyone in the neighbourhood? Because all of us haven't seen you for three years and we all miss you!"

"Ah, Mum, I will. Don't worry," Troy sighed in mock frustration.

"In fact, I'll go with Brie tomorrow," he told his Mum before smirking at Gabriella from the mirror and giving her a wink.

"That's better," Lucile said, giving her son a curt nod.

Gabriella's mouth dropped open and she frowned at Troy for dragging her into this. "Ugh, Troy, can't you do anything yourself?" Gabriella sighed and glared at him.

"What?" Troy exclaimed, looking all innocent. "We're best friends, Brie. We're supposed to do _everything_ together, remember?" Troy smiled at her genuinely before he pulled over in front of his house he hasn't seen or stepped into for three years.

Everyone got out of the car, where Troy went over to a seething Gabriella with her hands folded against her chest. Troy walked closer to her with one side of his mouth lifted up and pressed his palms against his best friend's cheeks.

"Come on, Brie," Troy looked at her with his piercing blue eyes, and when she stayed the way she was, he pulled her head close to his face and planted a sweet kiss on her forehead.

Gabriella immediately softened at his touch, and Grandma Joe commented, "Oh, you kids are too cute!"

Gabriella's cheeks grew pink, which caused Troy's grin to grow even more because he thought it was cute. Both Lucile and Grandma Joe stared at them for a couple of seconds before they headed into the house.

Gabriella slapped Troy on his arm playfully and stuck out her tongue at him before running towards his front door.

"Hey!" Troy shouted and ran after her.

He grabbed her on the waist from behind and lifted her up, spinning her around, the both of them laughing until Troy released her and they both fell onto the grass in front of the porch, both breathing heavily with big old smiles on their faces.

"I hate you, Troy," Gabriella said in-between breaths, turning her head to face Troy with a small smile on her face while they lie next to each other on the grass.

"I know you don't, Brie," Troy whispered as he looked her in the eyes, blue peering into brown, as if trying to look beyond her soul.

As it seemed like they were about to share a kiss, for their eyes darted from each other's lips back to each other's eyes again, there was a loud bellow, "Troy!"

Both of them snapped out of whatever they were in and Troy's head popped up to see his Dad waving to him. He got up, helping Gabriella up as well before they brushed some grass and dirt off their hair and clothing.

"Hey, Dad," Troy greeted his father before they walked to him and Jack Bolton gave his son a big hug, which Troy returned.

"God, I missed you so much, Troy," Jack held his son tighter.

"I missed you too, Dad," Troy patted his father on his back a couple of times before they let go of each other.

"Hi, Mr. Bolton," Gabriella greeted with a little wave of her hand.

"Hello, Gabriella," Jack said, beaming down at the both of them.

"Let's go inside and have a good old talk like we always do, huh?" Jack suggested.

"Sure, but after I grab my bags," Troy said while he pulled Gabriella by the hand to the car again to pick up the bags that they left inside.

/

**11 December 2012, 6:28PM  
The Boltons' Place, Living Room**

"Ah, son, it's finally good to be able to have a talk with you," Jack told Troy the moment he and Gabriella entered the house with his bags.

Jack was already seated on the living room couch, right in front of the television, which was switched off. Their living room floor was carpeted, a light cream colour. A long sofa that could sit at least three was dark brown and was situated right in front of a rectangular coffee table, facing the TV. At the other sides of the table, there were two other sofa chairs of the same colour as the long sofa facing each other with the coffee table in-between. Their TV was a flat-screen TV, hung up on the cream coloured walls that matched the carpet. Photo frames of Troy, with his family and with Gabriella, were lined up on the wooden table just below the TV. This table also housed Troy's video game consoles, his DVD player, and the drawers were filled with his DVDs and his video games.

Jack moved aside to a corner of the longer couch as Troy and Gabriella put down his bags, Troy sitting in the middle beside his father while Gabriella took the available seat beside Troy on the other side. Troy relaxed into the couch as his eyes surveyed his surroundings, glad that no one redecorated or renovated the place while he was gone. He was extremely contented with that. The last thing he needed was for him to come home to an unfamiliar place and feel left out. Troy's eyes fell onto the rectangular photo frame at the right corner of the table. He grinned as he stood up again and picked it up. His smile grew as he took a closer look at the photograph and he let his thumb brush against the glass, at the girl's face in the picture, before setting it down again.

It was a picture taken when Troy and Gabriella were back in high school. It was during senior prom, and also probably their last school dance. Troy was wearing a white wife beater and a black tie, with black dress pants and matching shoes. His right hand carried his black tuxedo jacket which was slung over his shoulder. But he wasn't looking into the camera. He was looking at the beautiful girl standing right next to him.

"_Mum, will you _stop _snapping the camera at my face? It's blinding me!' Gabriella shrieked, using her arms to block out the camera flashes her mother was sending her way._

"_I'm sorry, honey, but you look so beautiful! I just _have _to take these pictures! I may never get to see you go to another dance ever again!" Maria reasoned, getting emotional, but putting down the camera in reluctance._

"_But you do this for _every_ dance I go to!" Gabriella exclaimed incredulously._

_Gabriella's hair was tied up in a loose bun, and she wore only light make-up. Her dress was custom-made by Mrs. Valerie, the town's best tailor. The dress was knee length and had feathers and flowers and was sort of frilly that when she dances the dress will flow with her. She wore high heels that were a light golden colour and held on to a clutch purse of that same colour._

_Finally, the doorbell rang just as Gabriella reached the foot of the stairs. Grandma Florence opened the door to reveal an extremely dashing Troy. Gabriella's eyes popped out upon seeing her best friend dressed so handsomely. Not only did Troy's eyes pop out of their sockets upon seeing his beautiful best friend, his jaw dropped to the floor. Both of them stood rooted to the ground, taking in what each other were wearing until Maria squealed, "Picture time! Troy, please come in and stand with Gabi!"_

_Troy snapped out of his trance, his cheeks turning beet red due to the rather offensive thoughts he was having about his best friend. He just hoped no one would notice his hard-on. They had agreed to go to senior prom as best friends, so technically, they were each other's dates. And this was part of the reason Troy was getting aroused._

_He walked up to Gabriella with a huge smile on his face, whispering in her ear as her mother snapped away with the camera, "Hey, Brie. You look amazingly sexy."_

"_Troy, that's quite a bold way to say 'hello', isn't it?" Gabriella joked from the corner of her mouth, for her mother would not stop taking pictures with a watery smile._

_He merely smiled for the camera, while Gabriella looked up at him._

"_Well, you look handsome," she complimented him too before looking back at the camera._

_Troy's left hand captured her waist and pulled her close. His right hand held his jacket over his shoulder. Gabriella looked up at Troy, which he told her softly, "Smile for the camera."_

_She obliged, tipping her head to the right and flashing all her teeth in a cute fashion, which Troy turned to look at her with a dazzling smile that also showed all his pearly whites just as Maria took the picture._

"_Oh, this one's a keeper," Grandma Florence commented as she snatched the camera from her daughter._

_Gabriella went over to her grandmother and peered over her shoulder to take a look at the outcome of the captured photograph. A frown marred her face and she exclaimed, looking up at Troy, who was staring back at her with a little smile, "But Troy didn't even look at the camera!"_

"_Honey, this picture is _perfect_," Maria stressed the last word, taking the camera back and turning it off._

"_Ah, you finally stopped!" Gabriella shouted in happiness upon seeing her mother switching off the camera._

_Troy took it as his cue to say, "Okay, we better get a move on now. Or we'd be late."_

_Gabriella nodded and hugged her mother and grandmother goodbye._

"_Have fun!" The two adults chorused, watching the girl leave the house with the boy, her hand grabbing onto his left arm._

"_Aren't they perfect for each other?" Maria sighed out at the two best friends' retreating backs, letting a tear of joy roll down her cheek._

"_Well, someday they'll realize that they're perfect for each other. Just you wait," Grandma Florence said with confidence, patting her emotional daughter on her shoulder, also looking at Troy helping Gabriella into the car, his Dad's car which he had borrowed for the occasion, before he got into the driver's seat and drove off._

"_Yeah, I guess," Maria let out a small sob, wiping her tears away and closed the front door._

"_Come on, let's get this picture printed out and framed," Grandma Florence suggested, ushering Maria further into the house to get some money and stuff before they head out to get it done._

Gabriella smiled at Troy as he walked back to slump into the couch again.

"You remember that picture?" She asked seriously but with a small smile, turning to face him.

"Of course I do, Brie. It was our last dance, and also the best night of my life," Troy replied enthusiastically, facing Gabriella.

They sat in silence, smiles on their faces as they reminisced about the days when they were back in high school, where Troy didn't have to go far away to go to work, where they could still see each other and hang out every day. They stayed like this until Lucile and Grandma Joe returned with a tray with five cups of hot tea.

Gabriella took one, thanking Lucile and Grandma Joe for it. Troy and Jack each took a sip before setting it down on the table. Father and son proceeded catching up, Jack asking Troy how his life and job has been, if he has any suitors and what-not. Of course, Troy didn't have any suitors, at least none that he knows of, but then everyone knows Troy likes Gabriella and vice versa. It's just that they don't know it yet. In fact, the chemistry between them is so blatant that anyone with eyes can see they have a thing for each other.

Anyway, the three ladies went out to sit at the porch where there are a few rattan chairs outside. They left the two males in there to catch up, while they discussed whether to have a little welcome back party for Troy.

/

**11 December 2012, 7:34PM  
The Montez' Place, Front Door**

"Mum, Grandma, come over to Troy's, we're gonna have a little welcome back party for him!" Gabriella squealed, beckoning them to go over to Troy's with much enthusiasm.

"Alright, honey, there's no need to get so excited now," Maria laughed as they went over to the Boltons' place.

After they entered the front door, Gabriella flew up the stairs to see Troy just opening his bedroom door and stopping at the door, having a good look inside first before he went in to deposit his bags. He didn't sense her coming up behind him, so she jumped up and hooked both her legs onto Troy's waist as Troy's hands went behind to hold on to her legs. She used both her hands to cover his eyes and said with a deep voice, "Guess who I am!"

Troy chuckled at how adorable his best friend could get and he ran into his room randomly, spinning her around, making them both dizzy. Gabriella gradually let her hands fall from his eyes to grab on tightly to Troy's shoulders so she wouldn't fall off. Their laughter continued until Troy got so dizzy he lost his footing and fell onto the floor. They scrambled around for a moment and in the end, Gabriella ended up on top of Troy.

"Whoa! I am so dizzy right now!" Troy exclaimed in-between his laughs as Gabriella lay on him, his arm around her waist, holding her to him.

Once they steadied their vision, they stood up and Troy smiled at his room.

"Huh, nothing's changed," Troy breathed out sincerely.

"Why would we ever change anything?" Gabriella asked, Troy grinning as he knew the answer to that.

/

**11 December 2012, 9:42PM  
The Boltons' Place, Garage Area**

After his little celebration, which was just dinner with the two families, Troy took out the trash, and while he was at it, he saw his other neighbour, other than Gabriella, laid at his simple reclining beach chair, with a beer bottle in his hand. Troy went over to the low fence that cuts the borders of their houses and waved to him.

"Uncle Hank!" Troy yelled.

"Young man Bolton!" the 80-year-old Uncle Hank called out to him, getting up to walk up to Troy.

"How have you been?" Troy asked genuinely.

"I have been good. I was still wondering when you'd be back, young man. We all miss your company," Uncle Hank told him truthfully.

"Yeah, well, I missed every one of you too," Troy said with a chuckle.

"Especially Miss Montez," Uncle Hank said knowingly with a glint in his eyes.

"Yeah, well, she _is_ my best friend after all," he defended himself shyly.

"Alright, it's getting late, I'll head back inside. I'll see you around?" Uncle Hank asked, looking at Troy with a brow raised.

"Definitely."

Troy looked at his old neighbour returning into the house, a beer bottle in his hand. So he made it a point to yell after him, "And Uncle Hank, lay off the alcohol!"

Uncle Hank replied by waving the bottle in the air without looking back at Troy before he went into his home.

/

**11 December 2012, 10:56PM  
The Boltons' Place, Troy's Bedroom**

Maria and Grandma Florence had gone home, except Gabriella, because Troy wanted her to stay. They sat on Troy's bed, facing each other with their legs crossed and their knees touching each other's. Troy had taken a shower and was now dressed in a simple white t-shirt and had on only one of his red boxers. Gabriella had on Troy's grey sweater which was too big for her and also one of Troy's blue boxers.

Troy reached into the luggage beside him and pulled out a box. Gabriella couldn't help but grin at the box Troy was holding on to.

"So, here's what I got you," Troy began saying as he opened the box to reveal a silver necklace, with the word 'Gabriella' hanging on it.

Gabriella had her mouth hanging open this time when she saw the beautiful necklace that Troy was taking out carefully from the box and laying it in his palm.

"Let me put it on for you, Brie," Troy husked, causing a reaction in Gabriella.

Troy can be really sweet at times, but at other times, he could be a pain in the butt.

Gabriella moved to sit between Troy's legs, where he gently lifted her brunette hair to hang the necklace on her neck. When it was done, Troy slowly and delicately let down her hair, running his fingers through them briefly. Gabriella lifter a hand to where her name lies, on her chest, and fingered it while looking down at it.

"Aww, Troy, thank you!" she suddenly jumped up and turned around, throwing her arms around his neck and captured him in a bone crushing embrace.

Troy wrapped her up in his arms which he whispered in her ear, "I'm glad you like it, Brie."

She pulled back and stifled a yawn. Troy chuckled and went over to pull up the blanket to lie under it. Gabriella automatically crawled under the sheets with him and as Troy's head hit the pillow, Gabriella rested her head on Troy's chest like it was the most normal thing in the world. They cuddled up with each other, Troy's hand at her waist, pulling her closer to him. He let his fingers caress her soft brown hair before he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Goodnight, Brie," Troy said softly.

"Goodnight, Troy," Gabriella said back, her voice almost inaudible.

And with that, just like that, the two best friends closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

**Hello again everyone! I hope you've enjoyed Chapter 1 of 14 Days to Christmas. Okay, so I didn't really know why I gave it that title. Probably it's because of the number '14', Troy's number and also my favourite number, lol. But anyway, please leave me a review and/or a PM to tell me what you all think of the first chapter so far! I will try to update every week, but if I can't, I will update the week after. I apologize beforehand for keeping all of you waiting, but I am still busy and in school, so please bear with me. **

**Thank you to everyone who took their time to read this and also an early thank you to those who give me reviews and/or PMs. I love you all! :D**


	2. Catching Up

**Author's Note (Part 1):**

**Hello again! I know I SUCK! It's been SO LONG since the first chapter! But I have been busy, and worst of all, I couldn't use the computer for A WHOLE WEEK! Imagine the torture! D: But, thank you all so much for the reviews, even if there were not many, but I still appreciate them all! Also, thank you so much for being patient with me, because Chapter 2 is out! Enjoy this one everyone and leave me a review or PM me and tell me what you all think! :D**

**Chapter 2: Catching Up**

**12 December 2012, 7:23AM  
The Boltons' Place, Troy's Bedroom**

The rays of sun spilled in through Troy's bedroom window, making the blinds seem like they were useless in keeping the sunlight out. As the light fell onto Troy's face, he shifted in his bed, still unconsciously holding onto his best friend's hip. Gabriella had stayed over at Troy's the night before, but that was typical. They always stayed over at each other's place ever since they met when they were babies. And everyone still wondered why they were still titled 'Best Friends' after all that they have been through. The day the two first met were still imprinted in their families' minds.

"_Jeff," Maria suddenly said, suddenly feeling her throat close up._

"_What?" Jeff, Maria's husband for a year asked her pregnant wife, but not taking his brown eyes off of the television._

"_I think my water bag just broke," she whispered, holding onto her big tummy, fidgeting slightly on the couch as she watched it get stained with her fluids._

"_WHAT!?" Jeff repeated, only louder and he was shocked, whipping his head to the right the face her, his eyes wide with fear._

_Maria continued looking down onto her tummy and the liquids flowing out, biting onto her bottom lip, for at that moment she did not know what to do. Jeff was in the same position as her, his mind blank and he just stared at Maria with that same facial expression. Thankfully, Florence came down the stairs in time to see the couch stained, before she told them both to hurry up into the car. She drove them to Trident Hospital. Throughout the entire journey, all was silent._

_News got around to everyone, and the Boltons came, with their two month old son, Troy. Lucile was holding her baby, rocking him to stop him from crying. It was as if he knew Maria's baby was going to be in some sort of danger. This was true, because when Maria's daughter refused to come out, she almost died and a Cesarean section had to be performed. Fortunately, both mother and daughter survived and when the two families went in to see Maria and her daughter, Troy's cries immediately stopped._

_They all went in to see a worn out Maria lying on the bed, her face contorted with pain from the stitches she had to receive for the C-section. Albeit all that she has gone through, she had a faint smile on her face as she looked at her newborn. Jeff stood beside the bed, looking down at his new family and he smiled to himself slightly. He wasn't too thrilled it was a girl. He had been hoping ever since Maria had gotten pregnant for a boy. The same goes for Maria's father, Greg. Both father and son-in-law were not as happy as the rest of the people in the room._

_Steve and Josephine, Troy's grandparents, held onto each other as they watched the girl wriggling in Maria's arms. Florence was proud of the daughter for staring a new family, while Lucile and Jack were ecstatic for Maria for having her first child. Lucile then walked over to the bedside because Troy was scrambling in her arms, his hands reaching out in front of him, trying to get to the baby girl._

"_So, what will you name her?" Lucile asked, trying to keep Troy to behave in her arms by rocking him lightly, but to no avail._

_Maria watched as the nurses carried her baby away to be cleaned, before it was wrapped in a pink towel and returned to her. As she cradled her first child, she smiled to herself and told Lucile truthfully, "Many names have crossed my mind."_

_Troy bent lower, almost dangling from his mother's arms, still trying to reach out to have any physical contact with her. He just wanted to touch her. Maria then chuckled as he realized what Troy was doing._

"_I name her Gabriella," she told Jeff rather than Lucile._

_Jeff merely gave her a small smile and a curt nod._

_At last, Lucile was unable to keep Troy away from Gabriella and finally, their hands touched. Both babies stared at each other, where blue and brown orbs connected. Troy laughed enthusiastically as he intertwined their fingers. Gabriella smiled back at him, both babies not breaking their eye contact._

_At that sight, everyone in the room, including the doctors and nurses, they all smiled and let out a cooed "Aww"._

"Troy, wake up!" Lucile called from outside the room while she knocked repeatedly on his room.

He moaned and rolled around on the bed before he reached the edge and fell off, dragging the sheets along with him just as his mother entered his room with a look of disapproval on her face. Troy immediately jolted awake and groaned at the pain from hitting the ground so hard. Lucile smirked at her son and shook her head.

"Wake up, now, and don't forget your promise," Lucile sang as she walked back down the stairs to leave the two best friends by themselves.

Still groaning and huffing, Troy opened his eyes as he sat up tiredly, still trying to figure out where he was. When he realized he was on the floor amongst all the sheets, he got up and stretched, letting out a long and final groan. He then threw the sheets back on the bed before grabbing a towel and walked into his adjourned bathroom for a shower.

After a nice shower he came out with his towel wrapped around his waist. Gabriella stirred in her sleep, which Troy attempted to pull her off the other side of the bed with a snicker. She fell, but her knee crushed Troy's toe, which he fell back on his butt with a loud howl of pain. Gabriella then hit him on his shoulder and he lay down on his back, laughing so hard he couldn't get up, the pain forgotten. She climbed on top of him, with her thighs spread and on either side of him. She continued to hit him on his chest with her balled fists.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" Gabriella hissed, repeatedly throwing punches at her best friend.

Troy now had one hand on her waist, while his other hand went to her face to tuck her hair behind her ears, where now he could at least see a side of her beautiful face. He smirked at her punching him and he put both hands on her waist. Without wasting any time, he proceeded to tickle her, which she stopped hitting him and started laughing. Troy knew exactly where she was ticklish. Seeing that she had used most of her strength trying to push herself off of him, he rolled over so that he was now on top of her. He continued to brush his fingers against her sides that she laughed till she had tears in her eyes.

"Troy, please, stop!" Gabriella giggled, already out of breath.

"Hmm, that depends," Troy said slyly.

"Anything, I'll do anything, just stop!" she squealed, squirming around on the floor, trying to get away from Troy.

"Alright, say 'Troy Bolton is the hottest guy on earth and girls can't resist him' and I'll stop," Troy smirked, keeping her down with his hands.

"You are so full of yourself!" she complained with a frown on her face, but she was still laughing because Troy was still tickling her.

"So are you gonna say it or not?" Troy asked, ticking her harder.

"Alright, alright!" she finally gave in and repeated, "Troy Bolton is the hottest guy on earth and girls can't resist him."

"Yeah, that's right," Troy agreed as he stopped moving his hands but keeping them there.

"Ugh, you are such an arrogant jerk!" Gabriella complained with a growl before she pushed him off of her before she got up to go and take some of her clothes she have here at Troy's house.

"Yeah, but I am _your_ jerk," Troy reminded her, moving to his closet as well to take out a green shirt, a pair of light brown Bermuda shorts and a pair of black boxers.

"_That's _what matters," he told her with a genuine smile as he watched her walk to the bathroom with a smirk on her face because they both knew how true that was.

/

**12 December 2012, 8:46AM  
The Boltons' Place, Kitchen**

"Morning, Mum," Troy greeted as he slid down to sit on the counter stool with his fingers intertwined and placed on the table.

"Good morning, honey," Lucile said, while she slammed a piece of paper lightly on the table in front of her son.

Troy picked it up and read it.

_**Uncle Hank**_

_**Auntie Mabel**_

_**Mrs. Garcia**_

_**Mr. Barbendos**_

_**Mr. Williams**_

_**Mrs. Evans**_

"Uh, Mum, what's this?" Troy asked slowly with a brow raised as he looked up at his mother standing in front of him, which he sort of knew what the list was for.

"These are the people I want you to go visit today. But don't worry, just the six of them," Lucile explained with a triumphant look on her face.

"Uh…" Troy was at a loss for words.

At that moment, Gabriella came down the stairs wearing a yellow spaghetti strap sunflower dress and sat down beside Troy to look at the paper he was holding.

"Oh, we can go to Mrs. Garcia's bakery to have breakfast!" she suggested, her eyes lighting up and her mouth watering at the thought of her delicious cakes.

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Lucile exclaimed before going around the counter table to push Troy out of his seat to usher him to the front door.

Lucile opened the door and told Troy, "Make sure you go and visit every single one of them! Don't come home until you do!"

"Uh, yeah," Troy managed to say, as he was still wondering how to visit _six_ people in a day.

"Bye Mrs. Bolton!" Gabriella waved Troy's Mum goodbye before she grabbed Troy's arm that was holding onto the list and pulled him out of the house before Lucile closed the door.

Gabriella slipped on her flip flops while Troy put on his red Vans sneakers before they walked down the pathway away from his porch, heading towards the small fence gate of his house. Gabriella opened it and after they both got out Troy closed it behind him. Troy then snapped out of his daze, turning to face Gabriella.

"Let's go, Brie," Troy smiled at her before putting his right arm around her shoulders, the one not holding the list.

With that, they both walked down the street to head over to Mrs. Garcia's bakery.

**12 December 2012, 9:22AM  
Cakes and More, Counter Seat**

"Troy! Gabi!" Mrs. Garcia squealed as soon as Troy opened the doors to the bakery.

Mrs. Garcia, a 43-year-old mother of two boys, came running towards the two best friends, giving them each a hug before grabbing their arms to bring them to the counter seat. Joshua and Timothy, 25 and 26 years old respectively, are the two sons of Mrs. Garcia. Mr. Garcia had passed on a few years ago due to a heart failure. The three of them then continued this business, Mrs. Garcia taking over. Her two filial sons helped her manage the food business, both of their career pursuits long forgotten, for they were happy working with their mother and taking care of her at the same time. The two boys may be one year apart in their age, but they were just as mature and understanding. They both had emerald green eyes that resembled their father's, a blunt nose like their mother's and blonde-brunette hair that was a co-dominant gene from both parents combined.

"Mrs. Garcia, how have you been?" Troy and Gabriella asked in unison as they sat down in sync on the counter stool.

Mrs. Garcia then walked behind the counter to take a seat opposite the two best friends. Troy tucked his list into his back pocket of his shorts before intertwining his fingers, placing them on the counter table. Even at this hour, there were only a few people in the bakery, some still enjoying their morning coffees, some reading the papers and some were having their breakfast either alone, with a partner, or with their family. Most of the customers were the elderly.

As soon as Mrs. Garcia took her seat, she beamed at the two of them before replying, "Oh, I have been perfectly fine, don't you both worry. I've got Josh and Tim to take care of me and help me run this business. My only concern is if they hurry their butts up and get me a daughter-in-law and some grandchildren to carry before I leave for good!"

"Mrs. Garcia, don't say that!" Gabriella chastised, dismissing the fact that Mrs. Garcia mentioned death in the morning that was so perfect.

Mrs. Garcia looked down on her lap and sighed out heavily.

"I'm old and rusty. I'm afraid that next time if they _do_ have children, I'll be useless and a burden to them if I can't take care of my grandchildren for them. I just… I want them to take care of me when I'm no longer needed anymore," the lady confessed her real concerns at that moment to her favourite two best friends, tears welling up in her brown eyes, but she wiped them away with her fingers before they could fall.

"Mrs. Garcia, your sons _love_ you. Don't you ever say that," Troy told her sincerely, reaching out with his right hand to comfort Mrs. Garcia by patting her on her arm.

"Hey, Troy! You're back!" Tim exclaimed as he and Josh came up to the three of them.

"Hey, Gabi!" Josh greeted her as he took a seat beside her.

Gabriella smiled and turned to give Josh a hug. Josh was like a brother to her, but Tim behaved more like a father she never had, so it was obvious she and Josh were closer. Tim gave Troy a pat on his back before he sat down beside Troy.

"Hey man, how've you been?" Tim asked Troy as they began their conversation about work, Mrs. Garcia joining in every once in a while.

At the same time, Josh and Gabriella had their own conversation alone.

"So, Gabi, I was just wondering if you'd like to, uh, maybe, uh, go for a ride with me?" Josh asked uncertainly as he looked Gabriella in the eyes waiting for an answer.

"Well, where to?" she asked enthusiastically, because it had been a long time since she rode with anyone, a long time since she rode with Troy.

_That night, there was a full moon lighting up the neighbourhood, who were all asleep, except for two people. The 17-year-old boy climbed out of bed stealthily, and moved slowly to get to the door, opening it carefully so as to not have it produce a single horrid 'creak'. Thankfully, when he crept down the stairs, every single one of his family are still fast asleep. In a black pullover and a pair of jeans, he went out of the house to put on his shoes before he hopped over the low fence to get to his neighbours' house. _

_There was a grown tree right beside her room that could lead up to her balcony. A 17-year-old girl is lying in her bed, sleep still not coming to her. She lay awake, until she heard a soft knock on her balcony window. She jumped up from the bed, throwing the sheets on the ground before quickly unlocking her balcony door to see her neighbour standing there with a sad smile on his face. The girl frowned at him empathetically. They both stood in silence, not breaking their eye contact._

"_Brie," the boy sighed._

"_Troy, come in," Gabriella beckoned softly, her hands reaching out to grab his to pull him into her room, but ends up getting pulled closer to him._

_Troy pulled her into a tight embrace, as he buried his face in her hair while she rested hers on his broad shoulder. Gabriella rubbed his back and shushed him, trying to make him feel better. It worked, but it made Troy feel guilty of making his best friend suffer more by having to take care of him and his emotional state. After what seemed like hours, Troy let go of his best friend and walked into her room, his hand grabbing onto hers. He led her to sit on the bed. Under the moonlight, Gabriella could see his tears for they glistened as they fall. Fresh tears replaced the dried ones and as they sat together at the edge of the bed facing the balcony window, feeling the breeze of the night. Gabriella shifted herself lower to put an arm around Troy's waist to hug him, her head resting on his left arm. Troy looked at her for a moment, grateful to have Gabriella by his side to comfort him at moments like these. He then hugged her back and they sat in that awkward position, yet both of them felt comfortable._

_Once Troy had calmed down, he peeled himself from Gabriella's body and used the pack of his hands to wipe his tears away. He sat up straighter and tidied his slightly messed-up hair before he sighed heavily and turned to look at Gabriella._

"_Brie," Troy began, hoping she would say 'yes' at such a late hour, "Will you go for a ride with me?"_

"_Of course, Troy," Gabriella agreed without any hesitation._

_Troy took it as his cue to stand up to grab her hand and they both climbed down the tree, Troy helping Gabriella down by catching her when she hopped down from a branch. He set her down gently and waited for her to put on her shoes. They then ran to Troy's bike and Troy cycled away, into the night. Gabriella sat behind him, her hands wrapped around his torso. They rode down the path, away from the neighbourhood. Troy kept pedaling until they reached the meadows. It was their save heaven._

_They stopped just below a small hill, and hand in hand they climbed up the hill, swinging their interlocked hands. Right at the top of the hill, there was an oak tree. On one of the stronger branches, there were ropes tied onto a wooden plank. It was their swing. This hill used to be their playground when they were little kids but they have never forgotten about this place. Once they've reached the top, Troy lay down right beside the tree, where he could see the entire sky that was clustered with stars that night. Gabriella lay down beside him. _

_From the top of the hill, they could see almost the entire neighbourhood, the small forest area that separates the meadows and the town, and also the meadows, that has the most luscious green grasses in the world. It was the moonlight alone illuminating their vision. As they lay down side by side, with the constant breeze making them shiver, Troy folded his arms to keep him warmer. He sighed out, trying to find the one star that shone the brightest that night, for he would know that it was his Grandpa Steve. Just a week ago, Grandpa Steve passed on due to a heart attack. Troy has not yet gotten over his death, and hence his inability to fall asleep._

"_Are you cold?" Troy whispered, turning to face Gabriella, who was only clad in a thin t-shirt and a tiny pair of shorts which showcased her amazing legs. _

_Gabriella trembled slightly as she nodded her head, which made Troy chuckled a little because of how cute she can be. Troy smiled at her and rolled onto his left side, holding out his hands to her to show her that his chest is available._

"_Come here," Troy told her softly before she crawled to him to put her head on his chest._

_Troy rubbed her arms up and down; trying to make her feel warmer while she wrapped her arms around him. They both stayed that way until the sun rose the next morning, beating down onto the two best friends who were fast asleep. But they soon woke up only to scramble to Troy's bicycle in laughter because they had to get home before their parents found out they were not in their rooms._

/

**12 December 2012, 11:09AM  
The Evans' Mansion, Main Gate**

"Thanks, Josh!" Gabriella said, hopping off the bicycle from behind him then kissing his right cheek, which caused him to turn beet red.

"Uh, anytime," Josh said shyly with a nervous smile.

"You know, people who don't know us, they'd think we're actually gay," Troy commented jokingly about him riding with Tim with a laugh as he got down from the bike from behind Tim.

"Aww, yeah, you better not be spreading those rumours about us! It's supposed to be a secret, man," Tim joked right back, earning a thump from Troy on the back of his head.

"Alright, guys. We'll see you around. Thanks for the ride," Troy thanked them as him and Gabriella watched them ride up the path away from Mrs. Evans' mansion and back to the neighbourhood area.

Troy proceeded to ring the doorbell of the huge mansion before them. They had only been inside a few times, and because it was so big, they got lost multiple times. There was a ballroom in there, an indoor swimming pool, and heck, there was even a dock in their backyard! They often used their own motor-powered boat to travel around the surrounding islands or go fishing from time to time. The Evans family was one of the richest families in Trident Town.

"Uh, okay, Brie," Troy started, speaking quickly. "I need you work with me here. Let's keep this visit brief and easy, because I'm hungry and I need lunch. Okay?"

He looked at Gabriella with his best pleading face. When she didn't say anything but raise her eyebrows at him, he interlocked his hands in front of his face and shook them, whining, "Please, Brie, please."

"But you had two servings of ham and eggs at Mrs. Garcia's this morning!" Gabriella protested, pushing his hands away.

"Aww, please, please, PLEASE!" Troy tried harder to make her budge.

"Troy, what's your –" Gabriella wanted to finish her sentence, but she was interjected by one of the Evans' servants.

"Mr. Bolton, Ms. Montez," the balding middle-aged man in a butler suit greeted, "Please enter."

The butler opened the gate and moved aside to let them in.

"Thank you," the two best friends said sheepishly, slightly embarrassed by the scene they had just caused outside of this mansion.

"Mrs. Evans will see you in a bit," the butler informed us before walking down the hallway and disappearing into a room.

Troy and Gabriella stood in the main hall of the mansion, a huge fancy chandelier hanging above their heads. Expensive vases and sophisticated paintings decorated the room. There was a round mahogany table in the middle of the room. On top of it was a ceramic vase that was made by a famous sculptor. Soon, a clear of a throat broke the silence. Both heads whipped around to see Mrs. Evans in a swim suit, complete with a swim cap. Troy and Gabriella did their best not to laugh because of how over-the-top she looked.

"Hello, Mrs. Evans," the both of them managed to say after composing themselves.

"Oh, Troy, you're back," Mrs. Evans said as a matter-of-factly with a straight face.

"Yes, I am," Troy agreed with a nod.

"So, where're the twins?" Gabriella asked, letting her curiosity get the best of her.

"They're in their rooms, still receiving their lessons. It's not the weekends yet, so they have to study, study, study!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed, laughing lightly.

"Oh, I see."

"Anyway, I am leaving sometime before Christmas for a vacation and won't be back until maybe March next year, I don't know. So, I'm thinking of planning something special, something grand. It's not confirmed yet, but when it is, I will be sure to let you both know," Mrs. Evans spoke excitedly, her smiles big and bright.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Troy told her casually with a one-sided smile.

"Okay, I'm going to have a swim. I'll see you both around!" Mrs. Evans squealed, running in the direction of her indoor swimming pool.

/

**12 December 2012, 12:21PM  
Fishes in the Sea, Couple Booth**

"Hey, Troy, you're finally back!" Mr. Barbendos, the owner of the diner Fishes in the Sea, came jogging towards their table once they have gotten their seats at a corner booth and had a waiter taken their orders.

The diner was already full by lunchtime and they were lucky to even get a seat. When you're dining at Fishes in the Sea, have only one choice: fish and chips. The only difference is that you get to choose which fish you want to go with which chips. There were many varieties of fishes to choose from as well as the chips to go with. This diner was passed down from Mr. Barbendos' grandfather, so it was like a treasure to him. He was already in his mid-fifties but his age didn't stop him from doing this business until he died. His son was abroad pursuing his career as a renowned doctor. Philip Barbendos was very alike Troy. They were the few people who left town to enter the city to work and earn more money. Romano Barbendos just hoped his son would come back and take over the food business when he would already be too old to move about.

Mr. Barbendos, upon reaching their booth, sat down next to Gabriella and gave her a hug.

"Hi, Mr. Barbendos," Gabriella giggled, returning the hug.

"Mr. Barbendos, how's business? Looks as if you're doing just fine," Troy commented, smiling as he looked around to see all the tables full and customers eating their food happily.

"Yeah, it's been alright," Romano brushed it off like it was no big deal.

"Oh, I'm sorry, please excuse me, I have to use the washroom," Gabriella announced, standing up to move past Romano to walk to the washroom.

Troy watched her go until she was out of his sight. He then turned back to look at the boss of this diner, who in turn was looking at him with an eyebrow raised and a sly smile. Troy shrugged his shoulders with a confused look on his face, before the waiter came to serve them their drinks. Troy thanked the waiter and sipped his glass of coke. Mr. Barbendos was still looking at him in a weird way. Troy raised his brows at him.

"Are you both going out?" Romano asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Troy instantly felt a few degrees hotter, and his cheeks grew slightly pink. Mr. Barbendos laughed.

"Gabriella can sure make you feel shy!" Romano smirked.

"Alright, so I like her. Pshh, big deal," Troy told him casually, then cleared his throat and asked before Romano could say a word, "How's Philip? Has he come back?"

"Stop trying to change the subject, young man," Mr. Barbendos said in a low and serious voice, which made Troy look up from his drink he was sipping.

Their eyes met and the atmosphere changed from a fun one into a solemn one. Troy swallowed, waiting for Romano to start a whole new conversation.

"Troy, when are you ever going to tell her?" Romano asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm not going to because I don't want to ruin our friendship," Troy stated truthfully, wetting his lips slightly.

"She has got to know some day. You can't just keep your feelings to yourself," Romano told him again for the millionth time, for they have been having this same conversation since Troy confessed to Mr. Barbendos about his feelings for Gabriella.

"Yeah, some day," Troy replied, giving the same answer he always did for all these years while Mr. Barbendos walked away after giving Troy a pat on his shoulder.

/

**12 December 2012, 3:11PM  
Uncle Hank's Place, Front Lawn**

"Hey, stop pulling them out from my side!" Gabriella complained about Troy clearing the weeds on her side of the lawn.

They were both seated side-by-side on Uncle Hank's lawn, pulling out those pesky weeds for him. Troy just would not work on his own side and was always trying to make his best friend snap by crossing the line every now and then.

"What? You missed one right there!" Troy protested innocently.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and groaned, moving further away from Troy. And like what Troy always does, he moved closer to her, trying to bug the shit out of her.

"Seriously, Troy. If you carry on like this, we will never get this done," Gabriella sighed out angrily, like a mother reprimanding her own child.

"Yes, ma'am," Troy saluted to her, earning himself a playful slap on his arm.

"Do I look that old?" she spat out.

Before Troy could even blurt out a word, she waved her hand in front of her and changed her mind about asking him that question and hissed, "Never mind."

They worked on the weeds until they were all done, and they got up from the grass, brushing themselves clean. At that very moment, the sprinklers went off and all the grass was wet, including the two people standing on it. Gabriella squealed and wanted to run into the house, but she was not even halfway to the door when she felt two arms restricting her, grabbing her tightly on her waist and gently yanking her back.

"Troy!" she giggled as she tripped over Troy's feet and fell back onto him.

They scrambled on the grass for a while more, both of them having fun with the sprinklers and each other, until the front gate opened to reveal Auntie Mabel holding a tray of dainty cakes.

"Troy, oh, you're back!" Auntie Mabel exclaimed, shuffling over to the table to put down her cakes first before giving Troy a big hug.

Troy chuckled and stated the obvious, "I'm wet, Auntie Mabel."

"Sure you are. Come on, let's go inside for some tea," she said, affectionately patting Troy twice on his cheek.

They got in and the two best friends dried themselves with a towel before they sat down to have some of Auntie Mabel's delicious cakes. Truth be told, if she were to open a bakery, she and Mrs. Garcia would be having a fierce battle over whose cakes were the best.

They chatted for a bit, mostly about Troy and his life at New Land City. The two older adults had never dreamt of leaving this town ever since they were born. As for Gabriella, she decided not to pursue her career away from Trident Town, because she was already contented in working here at Cakes and More with Mr. Garcia and her two boys. Besides, Mrs. Garcia was the best boss in the entire world to give her the whole month of December free from work. She had a month every year to enjoy the holidays.

Then there came the expected question.

"Troy, when are you getting a girlfriend?" Auntie Mabel asked, nudging Troy slightly on the arm.

"Ah, I just want to focus on my career first, okay?" Troy answered the way he always did to Uncle Hank and Auntie Mabel.

"Alright, alright, don't push him," Uncle Hank said before Auntie Mabel could bombard him with more questions, clear that Troy didn't want to talk about it.

All Uncle Hank wanted was to see him and Gabriella taking it to the next level before it was too late for him to do so.

/

**12 December 2012, 7:28PM  
Ronnie's, Table for Eight**

The eight people included Troy, of course, and his parents Jack and Lucile and Grandma Josephine. Then there was Gabriella and her mother Maria and Grandma Florence. The eighth person was Josh Garcia, who happened to be eating out alone, so Troy asked him to join in.

The two families and Josh talked while they enjoyed their food heartily, with the occasional laughs. One comment about Jack almost made Troy choke on his drink. Gabriella had to pat his back to make him feel better. After dinner, when they were waiting for the plates to be cleared, Troy walked over to the counter to request to see the owner of the restaurant.

"Hey, Troy, welcome home," Ronnie greeted him with a hug, chuckling as he was genuinely happy that Troy was finally home after three years.

"Ronnie, how are you," Troy asked of him as he returned the hug.

"I'm fine, thank you, and yourself?"

"It's good," Troy answered sincerely before he got down to business.

"Uh, Ronnie, I was wondering if I could book this place on the eighteenth. Is that possible?" Troy asked, looking at Ronnie all the time to see his reaction.

"Eighteen? Oh, no, I'm really sorry; I have a big client on that day. He already booked it," Ronnie apologized, looking at Troy sympathetically and patting him on the shoulder.

"Aww, damn. That's alright then, don't worry," Troy said, brushing it off.

"Why? What's it for? Something big?" Ronnie asked curiously and Troy looked at him incredulously.

"What? You forgot what the eighteenth is?" Troy asked him unbelievably, his eyes wide with shock and surprise.

"No, so you better tell me," Ronnie laughed upon seeing Troy's face.

"It's Brie's birthday!" Troy exclaimed with a chuckle. "We celebrate it here _every _year!"

"Oh, that's right! I must be so busy I forgot! I'm so sorry!" Ronnie apologized, sincerely sorry that he was so busy that he had forgotten about the fact that they celebrate it here every year.

"Well, they haven't celebrated her birthday here in three years when you weren't here," Ronnie admitted.

"What? Really?" Troy was a little shocked at his confession as he frowned a little, turning his gaze from the middle-aged man to Gabriella.

"Yeah, I guess because you weren't here, that's why," Ronnie guessed.

"Well then, this year, I plan to give Brie the best birthday ever," Troy said determinedly, his eyes never leaving his best friend who was talking and laughing at the table.

**Author's Note (Part 2):**

**Okay, so you guys have just read Chapter two! Please leave me a review or PM me, telling me what you guys think and how I can improve! And I am SO SORRY for the long wait! I actually rushed this one out by Christmas so I could get it out by TODAY! So I apologize if it was a little shorter. I hope most of you are still sticking with me and the Troyella moments are doing all of you justice! I have just been SUPER busy! Oh and before I forget, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! :D Have a GREAT one this year and I will try my best to post the next chapter by the end of the month! Thank you all! :D**


	3. Trees and Invitations

**Author's Note (Part 1):**

**Okay, I know I said I'll post this up on by the end of December. But I have been through one heck of an ordeal ever since 2013 started. Those who actually want to know, you can ask, but I won't bore those who don't give a damn. I should really thank those who are still sticking with me. I know I am a terrible person, and I am REALLY SORRY, but please enjoy this chapter and leave me a review please, because I would love to read what my readers have in mind. Please and thank you! **

**Chapter 3: Trees and Invitations**

**12 December 2012, 9:41PM  
The Boltons' Place, Living Room**

"Ahh…" Troy sighed out as he relaxed onto the couch, flipping on the TV then tossing the remote to one side.

As he was about to put his feet up on the coffee table, his mother walked into the room after closing the front door and shot him a glare. He quickly retracted his legs to put them on the floor and gave her a sheepish smile before he returned his attention to the news.

"So, honey," Lucile began as she took a seat right next to her son. "Did you visit everyone on the list?"

"Consider it done," Troy replied triumphantly, sinking deeper into the sofa and resting his hands behind his head.

"Good. That's my boy," Lucile smirked, ruffling his chestnut hair before she got up to go upstairs for a shower.

Grandma Joe was at Gabriella's place for a bit, because the two grannies wanted to exchange hair tips, or something. Troy laughed at that, because the_ real _expert of _'hair' _was Chad. The fact that Chad was able to keep his afro tamed most of the time ever since his hair grew was beyond everyone. Chad Danforth was the messiest boy around and that boy had the worst timing in the _world!_ He's Troy's best guy friend since middle school and they play basketball together whenever they were free. Chad was also close to Gabriella through Troy.

_Troy stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. A concerned frown marred his face. 'Do I look okay?' He asked himself over and over again in his head, not convinced that he was ready for the first day of middle school. Elementary school was fine, because he didn't care about how he looked. It was only now that he was twelve, in his pre-puberty years, that he actually cared about how he looked. His excuse was to "give everyone a good first impression", but the real deal was to actually try to impress to attract the female population. Nevertheless, Troy Bolton was freaking out._

"_Brie, can you come here real quick?" he yelled from inside the bathroom, looking away from the mirror for a while and at the direction of the door, until Gabriella came in with her hands on her hips and a very disapproving look on her face._

"_Troy, we are going to be late for school, can you just hurry up and fix your hair?" she said of his chestnut hair that was all spiked up messily to make him look "cool" to fit in and get the ladies._

_Troy ignored her previous statement with a slight eye roll and turned back to facing the mirror. He leaned forward to get closer so that he could see himself better. Shifting his head to one side, he continued styling his hair, pushing it such that the spikes are higher and his fringe all gelled back to his liking. A few seconds into it, Gabriella stopped Troy by grabbing his arms from behind. Troy immediately ceased his actions and brought his hands down, looking at Gabriella in the mirror. She walked in front of Troy and faced him, taking over. She reached to her side for a towel and started to rid his hair of most of the gel. Tossing the towel aside, she lifted her hands to his hair and ran her smaller fingers through it. She repeated the action until his hair was all flat and more tamed on his head._

_While she was at it, Troy could only stare at her helping him fix his monstrous hairstyle he had only adopted for less than five minutes with his mouth slightly open due to her tenderness. As he looked at her doing his hair with such concentration, he started to realize that he didn't need to impress the other girls he would meet in school anymore. The only girl he had to impress now was the girl standing before him._

_Her touches were so sincere and loving that Troy's heart started to race faster and faster. He knew it was already wrong to even begin liking his best friend on a deeper level, but he just couldn't help it. She's just too captivating for him. At that moment, Troy just wanted to reach out and hold Gabriella in his arms and just kiss her to show her how he really felt about her. He just needed to do it right there and then. But he didn't. And he couldn't. Because he was just too shy to do that and he didn't want to lose Gabriella as a friend. If he really did place his lips on hers, she might just reject him and never speak to him again, who knows? So Troy decided to wait until _she _was the one to confess to him._

_When she was done, Gabriella smiled and moved back slightly, her tiny back already touching the sink._

"_Perfect," she said, satisfied with her work. "Now, you look just like you," Gabriella told him softly._

_Troy merely stared into her brown orbs with need and who knew a twelve-year-old could do that to another! She didn't get the look in his piercing blue eyes, so she brushed it off and thought he was just daydreaming. She giggled at him and turned away to head to the kitchen to get something to eat before heading off for school, leaving Troy standing there like an idiot and still looking at the spot where Gabriella once stood. Shaking his head slightly, he followed his best friend out._

_The apartment had two rooms, one for Troy and the other for Gabriella, a bathroom and a small kitchen space. It was already the biggest apartment their parents could find and afford in Albuquerque. In Trident Town, there was only an elementary school, so families with children who still wished to attend school had to either move away to other cities to enroll their kids for school, or send their kids away to pursue their studies. Troy and Gabriella's families loved Trident Town, and they couldn't bear to move away, so they had to send the two twelve year olds away to Albuquerque to attend East Middle School. Of course, they would come back during school breaks to be with their families, but until they graduate, they would have to stay in Albuquerque. Their parents send them money every month and in a separate envelope is some money for their neighbour, Mrs. Gordon, an old lady who lives alone in a rather empty one-room apartment. They had hired her to watch over Troy and Gabriella and she would receive her pay every month._

"_Bye Mrs. Gordon!" Gabriella sang out as she walked past the old lady's house to find her sitting on her rocking chair._

_Troy followed suit and Mrs. Gordon waved, telling them to be careful._

_East Middle School was right beside East High School, so it was really easy to find. Besides, the school was a stone's throw away from their apartment. They only had to walk ten minutes and they would already be in school. As they walked in through the doors of East Middle School, they didn't feel nervous at all. They were eager to learn and it was also their first time travelling away on their own. It was thrilling but at the same time dangerous. Nevertheless, they approached the Principal's office and Gabriella knocked._

"_Please, come in," a male voice called out._

_Troy opened the mahogany door to see their principal sitting on his desk and signing some papers. He looked up and put down his pen. Removing his glasses, he immediately recognized the two students. He smiled at his two new students before offering them a seat. The two best friends sat before him and smiled smartly._

"_Hello, you must be Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, my two new students who came all the way from Trident Town," the principal started, grinning from ear to ear at the enthusiastic pair._

"_Yes, we are. We were told to report here on our first day," Gabriella replied._

"_Good, yes, you remembered. Normally our students will receive their time tables from the front office, but since the both of you travelled from Trident Town to Albuquerque to pursue your studies; that's already extremely impressive," the forty-year-old man complimented them with a laugh._

"_Thank you, principal," Troy merely said with a slight blush._

"_Oh, I'm sorry. You can call me Mr. Matsui," the male apologized, shaking both their hands._

"_Ah, yes, your time tables," Principal Matsui said, pulling open a drawer and taking out two pieces of paper – their schedules. _

"_I assume you both know how to read it?" he asked as he handed the papers to each of them while they studied it._

"_Yes, thank you Principal Matsui," they took it as their cue to go and find their classes._

"_I'll see you around, children. Have a good first day of school!"_

_Troy and Gabriella headed off to the front office to ask for their locker numbers. Coincidentally, theirs were side-by-side. Troy's locker number was 007 and Gabriella's was 008. Troy laughed._

"_Hey, I'm James Bond! 007!" he exclaimed while turning the knob to input his combo to get it to open._

_One of the bigger boys seemed to have heard what he said, because a black-haired boy said it loud enough that both Troy and Gabriella could hear, "Oh, my _god_! How childish can you _get_?"_

"_Hey, back off!" Gabriella turned to glare at the bigger boy who spoke._

"_What's it to you? Oh! You both are boyfriend and girlfriend!"_

_The three boys laughed tauntingly and pointed fingers at them. _

_Troy wanted to throw a comeback but Gabriella grabbed his arm and yanked him back and gave him a look. He nodded and ignored them, continuing to put things into their lockers. The bigger boys were not amused and the black-haired boy reached out to touch Gabriella's hair, which sent shivers down her spine and made her want to throw up. _

"_Get away from me," she pushed his hands away while Troy moved in front of her to protect her._

"_You're useless," the boy pushed Troy out of the way. "But _you're_ a keeper," he said, reaching out to touch Gabriella again when she connected her hand with his cheek._

_The other boys were ready to attack her, but then an even taller boy walked up to them. He was black and had an afro. With a basketball tucked under his left arm, he helped Troy up and threatened the three boys._

"_Stay away from them, or you're off the team," he pretended to throw his basketball at their face, which cause them to scamper away in fear._

"_Thanks," Troy and Gabriella said in unison._

"_Hey, no problem. I'm Jordan, and this is my younger brother, Chad," he stepped aside to reveal an even smaller boy than Gabriella and he was as dark as his brother and had that same afro-styled hair._

"_Hi," Chad beamed at the two of them while they introduced themselves and Jordan walked away to join his other friends._

"_Hey, Troy, you interested in playing ball?" Chad asked, truly excited._

"_Well, yeah. I mean, back at home, Brie and I always play together," Troy said, jerking his thumb at Gabriella._

_At that time, the bell rang and students rushed to their classes. Chad peeked at Troy's schedule from his hands and his eyes lit up._

"_We're in the same class!" Chad sprinted to one of the doors and beckoned them to follow him._

_The three of them entered the classroom together and they sat together in the second row, with Gabriella right in the middle of them. It was how Troy and Chad "protected" the girl. Troy was glad that at least someone thought like him and also enjoyed playing basketball like he did. He knew he and Chad were going to be great friends._

Troy smiled at that memory where he and Chad first met and knew how true it was. Until now, Troy and Chad remained close, but Chad is now off somewhere in the world going on famous cooking shows and taking part in competitions where he would bring home his first prize trophies and show them off to everyone in Trident Town. After hearing about how amazing Trident Town is from Troy and Gabriella, he decided to move to Trident Town after finishing cooking school and dreamed of starting his own little business at the Town itself. The little restaurant was still in-progress, because Chad was still saving money to finally have that place built.

At that moment, Grandma Joe walked in through the front door and sat down beside her grandson.

"Troy, you won't be young forever. While you still have the looks, go and find a girl and settle down! You'll regret it when your looks are gone and you're all alone!" she joked, but Troy understood what she meant, and that was to give her a grandchild to carry soon.

The only weird thing was that after she retreated up the stair for a shower and for a good night's sleep, he could still hear his grandmother's voice echoing his best friend's name. Shaking his head and considering the fact that he was crazy, he went over to Gabriella's house to seek refuge because he had way too many thoughts that he would drown in them.

/

**13 December 2012, 1:37AM  
The Montez' Place, Living Room**

Troy and Gabriella were the only ones awake by this time, for they were watching back-to-back movies surrounded by popcorn, chips and soda. Troy had his feet up on her coffee table, while Gabriella lay sideways such that her legs were on Troy's lap. Troy turned behind to look at the time, and shot up.

"Shit! It's almost two! We need to get the trees tomorrow, remember?" Troy exclaimed, earning a "shh" from his best friend.

"Quiet, Troy! They're sleeping and Andrew's about to confront Margaret!" she sat up as well, staring intently at the TV screen.

Troy smirked at her and watched her change expressions as the ending of _The Proposal_ was being shown in front of them, laughing when she laughed and smirking at her when she went "aww". After the movie, as they were packing up, Troy just asked her casually, "You want your proposal to be like that?"

"No. Well, _you _can. I mean, you're just like Andrew, an editor and Alaska can be like Trident Town. But please, I'm no Margaret. You have to find your own," she joked, and Troy pulled her into a sudden hug that she stepped onto Troy foot and they fell back onto the couch giggling.

"Troy!" she chuckled softly, hitting Troy on his chest lightly as she lay below him.

They stared into each other's eyes and Troy leaned in, but not to kiss her on her lips, but on her cheek, before he got off of her and finished packing up the left over snacks and putting them away. Gabriella was already halfway up the stairs, so Troy thought she was angry at him for whatever reason, so he moved to the couch.

"Troy," Gabriella called, causing his head to shoot up to look at her.

Gabriella tilted her head to one side and Troy got the message: to follow her. He did and not long later they lay on the bed, Troy spooning his best friend and pulling her as close to him as possible before sleep came for both of them.

/

**13 December 2012, 10:22AM  
The Montez' Place, Gabriella's Bedroom**

Troy let out a huge yawn, his eyes getting watery. He had just gotten a call from his mother telling him that they not only need to get the trees, they also had to get the decorations. He stood up from the edge of the bed and stretched before he turned behind only to witness his best friend curled up into a ball, the sheets all tangled up around her. Her brunette hair was in a mess, but she still looked beautiful. And cute.

All Troy wanted to do was wrap his arms around her, kiss her and just tell her that he loves her for a really long time now. But he didn't. And he couldn't. Because he was a wimp. He kicked himself mentally for that, and that was also the time Gabriella woke up.

"Troy, are you okay?" she asked, looking at him with one squinted eye and seeing him in such a state.

"Huh?" Troy snapped out of his self-loathing demeanor before he awkwardly brushed it off by saying it was nothing, and then he bolted for the shower.

Gabriella was left lying on the bed confused, but she took that aside and got out of bed. After making the bed, she looked at the time. Holy shit, it was already 11! She figured they would eat brunch now. She remembered that they needed to get the trees today so that would mean heading to the forest where Mr. Leaf Barker, the tree seller, lives and sells his pine trees for Christmas, or in fact to anyone whenever they needed it, not just for Christmas.

Every year, she would buy two trees for the occasion, one for Troy's family and the other for her own. There was no need to get for Uncle Hank because he grew a few in his backyard and he would sometimes use one of them as a tree, or have Troy help him chop it down to bring it inside for decorating. When Troy was still around, he and Gabriella would get the trees together, but when he wasn't, Josh and Tim came to help, including Mr. Barker's son, Woody. See, they loved nature and thus their names. But Leaf still preferred to be called 'Mr. Barker' rather than his first name.

Usually, Troy would pack a few of his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone, but when he wasn't home, no one got to taste his amazing creation. Speaking of Troy, he just got out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, showcasing his slightly damp torso and his godly muscles. Although Troy is close to being a workaholic, he still works out and plays basketball and goes for runs, albeit not daily, which explains his muscular built.

Troy began to flip through her drawers, looking for his clothes, but frowning when he couldn't find any.

"Hey, do you still have my shirts?" Troy asked, his voice slightly muffled due to the fact that he had buried his head in one of her closets.

She smirked and joked with him, "Oops, nope, I don't have them anymore."

He immediately whipped his head around to look at her, wide-eyed. His jaw hung open and he was petrified. Does this mean he had to _sneak_ over to his own house to get dressed? Damn, that would be embarrassing! He calmed himself down and tried to think of a plan. Gabriella was trying her best to hold her laughter, but soon she couldn't help it anymore and she was in heaps of laughter.

"Oh, my gosh! The look on your face was priceless!" she exclaimed while laughing really hard that tears gathered in her eyes.

"Brie…" Troy shook his head slightly and spoke softly but menacingly before he advanced on her and his fingertips found her hips.

After tackling her to the floor, he pinned her down and told her, "That was just half of your punishment."

He then shook his hair and water came spaying onto her and she giggled at Troy before pushing him away. He grinned and stood up, offering her his hand which she took and then she went over to her drawer to get her a new set of clothes. Troy smiled after her and told her to be quick because they were already late. She nodded and went in.

It was only when the waters started that he realized that he still didn't know where his clothes were.

/

**13 December 2012, 11:50AM  
In Troy's truck, Towards the Forest**

"# _If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea  
I'll sail the world to find you  
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see  
I'll be the light to guide you… #"_

Troy and Gabriella were driving towards the outskirts of town, where they would cross a small bridge to get to the other side of a river. After crossing the river, they would be driving down the dirt path which will lead further in to the forest and then they would reach Mr. Barker's tiny cottage. That would be the place to get their Christmas pine trees.

Gabriella was singing along to their local radio channel, Troy joining along every now and then, as he drove them in his late grandfather's light blue pick-up truck. He only used it when he was going to carry a lot of things, like in this case, two pine trees, or in the past, a back tray full of eggs.

_One particular summer, there was this epidemic that most of the townspeople caught, and that was the flu. Thankfully, their school in Albuquerque had made it compulsory for everyone to have their vaccines for the flu, so they were probably immune to the virus. The disease was not strong enough to affect them yet. Everywhere they went, people were seen coughing and sneezing and for some weaker ones, it got so bad that they had to be admitted to the hospital. During the first week, a tourist died while being treated._

_After that particular death, all the tourists were alarmed by the level of severity of this flu that they all fled and returned back to their own homelands. Business was worse than before for the people in Trident Town, but the person who had it the worst was Farmer Nichols. He lived alone in his rather small farm and he only grew wheat, corn and bred chickens. The flu virus had probably started from the chickens he had bred, because a few days before the flu virus spread to the first few people in town, some of the chickens died. Nevertheless, he thought it was just the hot weather and he decided to sell them off, creating more casualties to the virus. _

_After a week, all his chickens had died off and nobody dared to buy anything from him, not ever the regulars, nor the supermarkets, or the bakeries. All the freshest eggs he had kept for sale were wasted, for they had become rotten within a week or two and there were no more tourists left in town. Most shops closed down tentatively and will reopen once the virus has been eradicated. Most foods were exported and many were imported, so business had really been bad for everyone. When the two 18-year-olds returned home, they were shocked, for the situation wasn't as bad as it was in their town when they were in Albuquerque._

_Other than that one tourist's death, no more deaths occurred and they were happy for that. However, that didn't mean that the virus was inactive. It was still spreading like wildfire and the hospitals were busier than ever. It took Trident City another two weeks before the cures and vaccines were transported to Trident Town. Most townspeople recovered quickly, while some weaker ones took a longer time to fully recover. By the end of that one month, everything went back to normal slowly and surely. As for Farmer Nichols, he had only wheat and corn to grow, but no more chickens. So Troy and Gabriella decided to help out._

"_Mum, what if we were to transport eggs from the city back here?" Troy asked his mother suddenly, an ingenious plan forming in his mind._

_See, if he could use his late grandfather's truck to transports thousands of eggs back home, the townspeople would have two weeks of eggs to use, max. The probation period was two weeks exactly, so that one trip back with those eggs could be the savior for this town. But then again, Troy was also excited he got the chance to be a 'superhero' for once._

"_Well, how many cartons of eggs are you planning in transporting them back then?" Lucile asked him, with an eyebrow raised._

"_We can fill the whole truck. Or better yet, we can ask everyone how many eggs they would need, we'll take down the orders and then we'll go get them in the city," Troy exclaimed, proud of his plan._

"_Wait, what do you mean 'we'? Troy, you know your father and I can't leave town," Lucile told him._

"_I know. That's why Brie and I are going to do it," Troy said, looking straight into her black orbs, hoping that she will allow him to be 'superhero' for one day. _

"_I don't know, Troy…" Lucile trailed off when his father spoke._

"_Go for it."_

_Troy looked up and saw his dad coming into the kitchen area and hugging his wife from behind. Lucile looked back at Jack and asked softly, "Are you sure?"_

"_Mm-hmm," Jack nodded and gave his wife a kiss on the top of her head and she caved in, smiling at her husband then at her son and gave him a firm nod._

"_Go for it," Lucile echoed her husband's words and Troy literally jumped for joy._

"_Thanks Mum, thanks Dad!" Troy yelled behind him and bolted out his front door._

_He slipped on his shoes and jumped over the low fence and stopped in front of a tree. It was the tree that would lead up to his best friend's balcony, where the familiar notches and hand grips were beginning to wear into the trunk from the millions of times he climbed it ever since he was strong enough to climb it. He knocked loudly on her sliding door and shouted, "Brie, open up, quick!"_

_Troy saw his best friend's silhouette getting closer to the door and she pulled away the curtains, revealing her in a tank top and mini short, which were her pajamas. Her hair was still damp from her shower. It was already nine in the evening, but she had just had her period and had really serious cramps. She pulled open the sliding door and Troy practically jumped in._

"_Brie, holy shit, I have good news!" he exclaimed excitedly._

_She merely nodded weakly before going to sit on her bed, leaning against the dashboard and hid her body under the sheets, except for her head. Troy understood her body language, because ever since she had her first period, he was there, and it scared the living daylights out of him. She was crying out of fear and pain, and thankfully his mother knew what to do and took care of the rest. It was then he knew about puberty and a girl's menstrual cycle and the horrifying bits of it. He gave her a slight smile, before he moved under the sheets to sit beside her. Her head automatically dropped to his shoulder, and she closed her eyes and clutched her tummy. She frowned and suddenly, Troy had an idea. He went downstairs and began to open her kitchen's cupboards, until he found what he was looking for. A hot water bottle. _

"_Troy? Since when did you get here?" Maria was only slightly surprised to see him at the house, but it was typical for him to be here since he does this almost every night. _

"_Oh, hello Ms. Montez. I got here just awhile ago," he began, then saw that she was eyeing the rubber he's got in his hands, then continued, "It's for Brie. She's suffering up there with her damned cramps."_

"_Ah, I see. Well, thank you for taking care of her then," Maria smiled at the young chap in front of her._

"_She's my best friend. There's no need to thank me for anything," Troy said, before he went to fill the bottle with hot water, then he sprinted up the stairs._

_After he was gone, Grandma Florence came out from her hiding spot, and that was behind the kitchen wall. She gave her daughter a knowing smile and motioned for her to come and sit on the couch with her._

"_Troy is such a nice young man, Maria. I mean, I won't be surprised if they get together after they finish high school," Grandma Florence mused._

"_We have been waiting for them to be together since they were what, thirteen? If it's going to happen, it should have had happened by now," Maria argued._

"_Patience, my dear. That's the key to success," the older woman said, before she returned to her room to get some sleep._

_In Gabriella's room, Troy had the hot water bottle set on her tummy, and was spooning her on the bed. He stroked her hair gently and told her that the pain will be gone soon. She was exhausted, and not long after, she fell asleep, her head resting on Troy's chest. He knew that if he were to sleep like this through the night, his back and neck would hurt the next morning, but he didn't care. He couldn't wake her and ask her to move, or move her himself and cause her to wake, so he decided to close his eyes and go to sleep._

_The next morning, Gabriella awoke first. The pain was gone, and the usual smile returned on her face. She shook Troy awake. He opened his eyes and then let out a huge groan. He was right, his back and neck hurt like shit. But, a little stretching was enough to make him feel better._

"_Jeez, Brie, if I wasn't a basketball player, I may not even be moving right now," he joked, chuckling as he took a pillow to his face, "Hey!"_

"_So, what did you want to tell me last night?" she asked, moving to sit in-between Troy's legs, facing him._

"_My parents agreed that we could head to the city and bring back those eggs so we can start business again here in this tow. See, the probation period will last for two weeks, and if we bring back two weeks of supply of eggs, business can go on before we have our own eggs," Troy explained._

"_We transport them with the truck?" she asked, looking up at Troy._

"_Smart girl," Troy laughed and gave her a pat on her head._

"_We have to take their orders as soon as possible then!" she exclaimed, already getting out of bed._

"_Yeah, we'll go right after breakfast," Troy nodded._

_As promised, after breakfast, the two set out with a notepad, a pen and an A4-sized envelope and took down the orders and their money from every single one in town. After taking down all the orders, they headed home to sum up all the cartons they'll need to get._

"_So, how many cartons in total?" Lucile asked, looking at the two young adults doing their math side-by-side at the kitchen counter._

"_Three hundred and fifteen," they both concluded in unison._

_Troy counted that he had three hundred and fifteen dollars, while Gabriella counted the numbers they had written on the notepad._

_Without further ado, they took the money and went to the front door to head out._

"_Be careful, alright? Please be back home by eight, so you can deliver the eggs by tonight," Lucile ordered, before waving them goodbye._

_Troy drove the blue truck and went into the outskirts of town. When he got to the river, he didn't choose the route with the small bridge that crossed the river. Instead, he went left, onto a long wooden bridge that extended over the sea and connects to the city. They drove over the bridge, which took them approximately an hour to do so, and that one hour was going to be really boring if they didn't turn on the radio._

"_Is this channel okay?" Troy asked, his eyes on the road in front of him but his fingers jabbing some buttons on the radio._

_Just then, a slow song came up, which was their favourite song, Chasing Cars._

"# We'll do it all, everything, on our own  
We don't need anything, or anyone… #_"_ _Gabriella __started singing, which made Troy smile at her beautiful voice._

_Troy then continued singing, "_# If I lay here, if I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world? #_"_

_As they finished singing a duet of the song sung in solo, they laughed and didn't feel so bored anymore. The next song started and they both recognized it as the theme song for _Ghostbusters_. They both let out a laugh and exclaimed, "Ghostbusters!"_

"# If there's something strange, in the neighbourhood, who you gonna call? #_"_

"GHOSTBUSTERS!_"_ _They both screamed just as Troy rolled down the window even more, until it was only half visible._

"# If there's something weird, and it don't look good. Who you gonna call?_" Gabriella sang._

"GHOSTBUSTERS!_" They both exclaimed out the window feeling the breeze in their faces and laughing as they continued the song._

"_I ain't afraid of no ghosts," Troy said coolly, turning to face Gabriella, making a 'cool' sign by placing his thumb and fore finger at the bottom of his chin, which caused her to giggle and thump him on the side of the head._

"_Eyes on the road, Troy-boy!" Gabriella ordered with a laugh._

_It was moments like these Troy enjoyed most where he and his best friend can goof off and just have fun. At the end of the day, they did return with three hundred and fifteen egg cartons in the back tray of his late grandfather's truck and distributed them to everyone, where they were exhausted, since they were done by ten in the evening. Troy was still excited from the fact that he got to play 'superhero' for a day and all Gabriella could do was roll her eyes at her best friend._

Troy smiled at that memory as he continued driving down the dirt path that runs through the forest. He pulled over when he saw that familiar little cottage right up front. Both he and Gabriella got out and Mr. Barker sat at his front porch having a cup of tea and reading the papers. He smiled when he saw the two best friends walking towards him.

"Troy, Gabriella, it's good to see you both again!" he exclaimed, coughing a little as he stood up to give them both each a hug.

"Hey, Mr. Barker," they greeted.

At that moment, the front door opened to reveal a lumberjack, with his sharpened axe.

"Woody!" Gabriella gave him a hug and he dropped his axe to hug her back.

"Hey, guys. Two trees as usual?" Woody asked.

"Yeah, I'll just go to the back and grab an axe to help you out," Troy said, walking around the house to the tool shed and went inside to grab another spare axe.

/

**13 December 2012, 4:53PM  
Mr. Barker's Place, Front Porch**

"Thank you very much, Mr. Barker. And Woody," Troy was saying, as he paid them for the trees.

"No, thank _you_," the 97-year-old-man told him with a wink and a smile.

They waved goodbye and Troy drove them back, the two Christmas pine trees Gabriella picked out and chopped by both Troy and Woody sitting in the back tray of the truck. The air got chilly as it was evening time and close to where the town would experience snow, and that was winter. This year, the weather was rather weird, because it was supposed to get colder during the first two weeks of the month then start snowing gradually later into the month.

As they got closer to their neighbourhood, they were able to witness the sunset in the truck as they drove back and it was beautiful. Troy enjoyed moments like these too, when the both of them would sit side-by-side, not saying a word, but enjoying each other's company, wherever they were.

Troy parked the truck at the driveway of his house and they got out. Outside, gentle gusts of wind were blowing and the sun was almost reaching the end of the horizon. A horn sounded just as Troy was about to unlock the back tray of the truck when an all-too-familiar horn sounded, causing Troy and Gabriella to whip their heads around to see the mailman, Mr. Chatts, in his motorbike right outside their houses.

"You all have got mail!" he exclaimed, passing two bright pink envelopes to Troy as he walked there to collect it.

"Hey, thanks, mailman Chatts," Troy thanked him and he and Gabriella went into his house.

"Mum, mail!" Troy exclaimed, before he realized it was for the entire family.

Gabriella tore hers open and read the matching pink card inside.

_Dear, _

_The Montez Family,_

_You are cordially invited to the Grand Ball here at the Evans' Mansion._

_It will be held on the 20__th__ December 2012, 7pm._

_Dress code: Formal._

_We hope to see every one of you there. Thank you!_

_Sincerely,_

_The Evans Family_

"We are all invited to a _grand _ball!" Gabriella exclaimed, throwing the card down on the table.

Troy picked it up to read the contents and at that same time Gabriella's phone rang. As she picked it up, a loud squeal was heard on the other end of the line.

"**Ahh! Gabi, a ball! What should we wear? Oh, my gosh, we need to go shopping for dresses soon!" Taylor squealed.**

"Hi, Tay," Gabriella greeted her sarcastically with an eye roll, which caused Troy to snicker.

"**Gabi, aren't you excited? I mean, come on, a **_**dance! **_**A **_**grand ball! **_**You **_**have**_** to be jumpy, if not just a little bit?" Taylor tested her reaction.**

"Okay, fine, yes, I am excited!" both girls squealed and started talking about what dresses they were going to get for the ball.

It was Troy's cell that rang next.

"**Troy, my man, I'm back!" **

"Oh, shit! Chad, dude! How've you been?" Troy asked after his best friend since middle school.

After they caught up for a bit, it turned out Gabriella told Taylor to come over to her place and Troy told Chad to come over to his place the next day.

"I think we should go gift shopping tomorrow then. The four of us," Gabriella suggested.

"Great idea," Troy agreed with a nod.

"TROY!" Jack yelled at his son from outside of the house.

"Uh, yeah, Dad?" Troy asked, standing by the front door.

"The trees?" Jack said as-a-mater-of-fact, before Troy ran out to help his Dad bring the trees in.

"Where are the decorations, Troy?" his mother asked just as they were done setting up the tree.

Troy smacked himself in the forehead.

"Shit, I forgot," he told his Mum sheepishly, laughing nervously.

"Please get them tomorrow," Lucile begged.

"I will, Mum. Don't worry, I will," Troy promised.

Gabriella burst out laughing at him after Lucile walked away.

"Hey, what are _you_ laughing at?" Troy asked Gabriella threateningly with a mischievous smile before he moved closer to her with his palms in front of him, which she ran away and he chased after her.

**Author's Note (Part 2):**

**Okay, I know the ending to this chapter sucks, but anyway… I hope this chapter does everyone justice. The next chapter will hopefully be out soon, but I make no promises because I am awfully busy that I already want to break down. Jeez! So I still hope everyone sticks with me, and please leave me reviews! Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate it!**


	4. Gift Shopping

**Author's Note (Part 1):**

**Okay, hey everyone, I finally managed to find the time (and that means cutting off sleep and then ultimately falling ill – I'm down with a serious case of cough) to get this up on time. Yes, I told myself two weeks MAX, and here it is, in ONE WEEK. Don't hate me if this chapter doesn't do anyone justice, although I hope it does… Oh, and also…**

**Special shout out to:**

**XxxBellaBellaxxX – Thank you for contributing a Jimmie/OC cross-over idea. I will be positively sure to discuss further details with you once I'm done with this story!**

**Pumpkinking5 – You give the best summaries, ever. So, I thank you.**

**Anyway, do enjoy this, and leave me a review! Thank you guys so much, I love you all!**

**Chapter 4: Gift Shopping**

**14 December 2012, 9:36AM  
The Boltons' Place, Living Room**

"What's taking Chad so long?" Troy asked out loud, glancing at the clock every five seconds.

He was sitting sideways on his sofa chair, his legs dangling from the armrest. Gabriella and Taylor were there too, sitting side-by-side and waiting for Chad to make his grand entrance before they could get down to catching up and all that.

"Probably to get his afro tamed before he can even walk out of his bathroom," Taylor said and she and Gabriella laughed, giving each other a high-five.

Troy let out a snicker himself as well, because he knew Chad loved his hair like it was the most precious thing in the world. Another five minutes went by and then there was the doorbell. Troy jumped out of his seat and bolted to the door to open it to reveal Chad in his red East High Wildcats basketball team jersey, the one similar to what Troy was wearing.

"Hey, bro!" Chad exclaimed, dropping his red duffel bag onto the floor the moment the door flew open and he reached out to give Troy a hug.

"Hey, man. How's it going?" Troy gave him a pat on his best buddy's back before they head into the living room to take a seat before they go and have a bite.

"Good, good…" Chad's voice trailed off when his chocolate eyes landed on Taylor.

"Dude, what's she doing here? I thought it's only gonna be us?" Chad asked in a hushed tone, yanking Troy away from the two girls right after he had put his bag on the coffee table, to talk to him so that they were out of earshot.

"Brie invited Taylor over, so I thought the four of us could hang, like old times," Troy shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

"Why couldn't you have told me earlier that she was going to be here?" Chad whispered in an annoyed tone. "I could have done up better!" He complained, throwing his hands in front of him for effect.

"That's because you never _asked_," Troy retorted back, walking away and flopped onto the couch again, but this time beside Gabriella.

"Hey, Chaddy!" Gabriella squealed, jumping into his arms the moment he turned around to face the four of them.

Chad grinned and squeezed her tight till breathing became a problem, then loosened his grip on her.

"Hey, Gabi, how've you been?" He asked, letting her go.

"Awesome, and I know you've got that trophy in your bag," she sang, the two of them going to sit on the couch.

"Yeah," he answered Gabriella's question, then turned to look at Taylor. "Hey, Tay," he greeted her bashfully.

"Hello, Chaddy," she said, blushing and grinning at the same time.

"Oh, you two love birds! Please get a room before I die from your intense looks for each other! Jeez!" Troy complained in a joking fashion, holding his hands in front of his face to shield his sight of Chad and Taylor and Gabriella giggled beside him.

See, Chad and Taylor have this relationship that's kind of unpredictable. One minute Taylor would be all giggly around him and then the next, she would get angry at him for no apparent reason. Chad's sort of afraid of her, but then he likes her for a while now, but is shy to confess his feelings for you. Taylor, on the other hand, wants to be with Chad, but feels it is unacceptable that Chad doesn't treat her right. It's complicated.

"Troy, I swear, you will die by my fist!" Chad yelled, getting up from the couch and punching him on the shoulder and they all burst out laughing like old times.

/

**14 December 2012, 10:30AM  
The Boltons' Place, Kitchen Counter**

After a round of Troy's peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the four of them were seated on the barstools at the kitchen counter and Chad showcased a few of his newer trophies. Taylor could only roll her eyes at his cockiness. Well, she could cook up some amazing dishes too, not just Chad.

"I got this from the annual _So You Think You Can Cook? _competition," Chad announced as he held up a small gold trophy with his name on in.

"You got the license?" Troy asked as Gabriella passed him the trophy to have a closer look.

"I totally did! I got the money too, so now I can get that place I've been talking about for years built and give it a grand opening!" Chad exclaimed excitedly, already thinking about his plans for his first restaurant here in Trident Town.

"You can hire the contractors to build the foundations first, to save time while you're saving up the rest of the money," Gabriella suggested, and Taylor nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I will do just that when I get my things ready!" Chad said to himself with a smile rather than to his friends as he put all the trophies back into his bag.

"You'll be an amazing chef, Chad," Gabriella assured him, giving him a light pat on his back.

"Yeah, I will have you cook for me every night because I'll be going to your restaurant every night while I'm here, man," Troy reassured him, happy that his best friend was as ambitious as himself.

"Come on, I didn't come here to talk about myself," Chad laughed, putting his bag away. "Let's go play ball!"

"Finally!" Troy exclaimed and the two males went out through the back door by the kitchen to the backyard where Troy had a basketball court.

As for Taylor and Gabriella, they sat in the house for a little girl talk. Through the kitchen window, they could see the two guys playing one-on-one with each other.

"Tay, I know you want to open that restaurant with him," Gabriella started, giving her best friend a sideways look which she returned.

"I do, I really want to help him, but what if he thinks I'm a hindrance to him? Or he just wants to go solo?" Taylor asked, pouring her fears out.

"You should talk to him," Gabriella advised. "Then the two of you can work it out. I'm sure he needs your help, not just _wants_ it."

"I guess so, I haven't really had a nice proper conversation with him before," Taylor frowned.

"Sure you have, when we were in college and you were tutoring him while I took care of Troy? You guys spent loads of time together!" Gabriella laughed at the memory.

"Well, yeah, but I was shy around him," Taylor admitted.

"You are still shy around him," Gabriella amended, then continued, "You should be like me and Troy, see we have no problem at communication at all!"

"That's because you two grew up together!" Taylor chided. "_Plus_, he doesn't know about Jake yet."

"How do you know that he doesn't know?"

"_Because_, if that boy knew about you and Jake, he wouldn't be as calm as he is right now!" Taylor exclaimed like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The frown Gabriella had on her face meant that she didn't quite understand what Taylor was getting at.

"Girl, that boy likes you. If neither of you take any action soon, the chances of the two of you getting together would be close to none," Taylor warned.

What she said actually scared Gabriella. What if she were to lose Troy forever to another girl? She'd rather be dead than live through the torture of not being able to be with her best friend. But then she already had a boyfriend and it's about time Troy should get one as well. A girlfriend, that is.

"Troy doesn't _like me_ like me," Gabriella defended, blushing slightly as she stole glances every now and then at Troy through the window.

Little did she know that Troy was doing the same thing to her.

"But _you _like him," Taylor reminded her.

Gabriella kept silent and everybody knew silence meant consent.

"So just dump Jake and go for Troy already!" Taylor said, hoping she would listen to her.

"I'm not going to do such a thing! I love Jake, okay?" Gabriella answered in a frustrated tone and Taylor knew it was time to stop pushing her.

"Okay, okay," she succumbed to Gabriella.

"But, _you_ have to promise me that you will work on it with Chad, alright? I really want to see you both get together and be all comfortable with each other instead of shy around each other, okay?" Gabriella demanded lightly, causing Taylor to let out a chuckle.

"Alright, I promise!"

The back door flew open and in walked Troy and Chad, all sweaty but panting slightly.

"You girls wanna play?" Troy asked, wiping the beads of perspiration on his face with a lift of his shirt from below.

The two girls could only scrunch up their faces in disgust. Gabriella then realized that this could be an opportunity for Taylor to talk to Chad.

"Yes, in fact, I'll play one-on-one with you, Troy boy," Gabriella smirked, hopping down from her stool to go upstairs to get changed into a smaller white Wildcats jersey, the one Troy used when he was a freshman at East High and the matching pair of basketball shorts.

Troy and Chad went to get a drink of water, and Troy sat down for a moment while waiting for Gabriella to come down the stairs. When she did, he yelled in mock frustration, "What took you so long?" and earning a slap on his arm before they laughed it off and went out to the court to play.

They stood in the middle of the court and Gabriella used a rubber band she got from her bag to tie up her hair into a high ponytail. Troy bounced the ball to Gabriella and she bounced it back.

"Check," she said, before maneuvering to block Troy to prevent him from scoring any baskets.

Troy dribbled the ball quickly, Gabriella having a little difficulty catching up and he did a layup, so the first basket goes to Troy. He smirked at her and went to retrieve the rebounded ball.

"You know, this means I only have nine more shots before I win," Troy reminded her cockily.

Gabriella grinned mischievously at him before taking the ball out of Troy's grips and making the shot into the hoop with ease. Before Troy even had time to react, she turned around and it was her turn to smirk at Troy.

"You know, this means we're even," Gabriella retorted, with a sly smile.

Troy nodded his head slightly at her move and had a maliciously playful look in his eyes. 'Two can play at this game,' he thought, bending down to get the ball that had rolled to his feet and with lightning speed, he made his way to the hoop. Just as he was going to make a three-pointer, he felt a sudden weight on his back and he dropped the ball from such an abrupt movement.

"Hey!" Troy complained, but his hands swiftly going to his sides to capture two inevitable legs.

Gabriella giggled and moved to place her hands over his eyes, so that he was blind to his surroundings.

"If you hadn't jumped on my back, I would have made the shot," Troy boasted, even though they both knew he was just joking about it.

"Exactly, so I had to stop you," she countered, pouting at him even though he couldn't see it.

"That's wasn't exactly legitimate," Troy pointed out, then began spinning them around in dizzy circles.

"Stop, Troy! Stop!" Gabriella screamed, because she was afraid they would fall and Troy would crush her, so she obediently took her palms away from his eyes.

In the kitchen, Chad and Taylor sat side-by-side, watching the two of them having fun out there, envious of them. Taylor smiled sweetly at Chad and commented honestly, "They are so cute together."

"They sure are," Chad agreed, looking right at Taylor while she gazed at the two of them out there in the court. "It's a pity they don't actually see what's in front of them," he frowned and gave a helpless shrug of his shoulder and a downwards twist of the side of his lips.

"Exactly."

/

**14 December 2012, 12:42PM  
Trident Mall, Entrance**

"It has been _three fucking years_ since I've stepped into this place," Troy breathed, his eyes wide as he looked around for any changes, but apparently finding none.

"Not much has changed anyway, except for a few new clothing stores," Gabriella said, as the four of them took the escalator to the second level.

"We should get the decorations for our houses first," Taylor suggested. "We can shop for gifts later."

With that, they walked to one of their favourite stores, _Ornamentz_. It was a small and rather cramped store because of so many decorations that they sell, so even walking between the isles without knocking anything over became a problem.

"What, I'm gone for three years and they have so many unsold items from previous years?" Troy joked, holding up a long green tinsel and playing around with it.

He draped it around his neck and coiled it around his arms, pretending he was a tree. Chad looked at him weirdly at first, then also took a lilac one and did the same as Troy. They began lightly shoving each other with it then Troy gave Chad the eye to tickle the girls. Chad got his eye signal and nodded, waiting for Troy to give him the cue to take action. Smirking, Troy brushed the tinsel at the nuque of her neck which she twisted around and slapped his hand away with a giggle.

Chad did the same to Taylor as well, but she just kind of glared at him and stomped away. Chad was stoned in shock for a moment, since he didn't know how to react and turned to Troy to seek help. Troy could only look at him and shrug, because Taylor was hot and then she's cold. It's really hard to predict her mood. It's scary.

"Troy, come here," Gabriella called out to Troy, who was picking out some red ribbons while Chad and Taylor were choosing candles together.

"Yeah?" Troy turned, his hands filled with red pin-on ribbons and she hastily snatched one away and pinned it on his shirt, followed by a star on his head.

"Now you look just like a tree!" she laughed, taking in her best friend with colourful tinsels wrapped around him, sticks of artificial flowers held under his arms at his sides, red ribbons, coloured light bulbs and shiny balls. To top it off, he had a gold star balanced on the top of his head, which completes the 'tree'.

Troy chuckled and tipped his head forward slightly so that the star fell onto his palms, Gabriella adding three more to Troy, the walking basket, apparently.

After getting all the Christmas decorations, they were good to go and headed out of the store. Lucile was in-charge of getting the other goodies, like the pre-baked cookies, shortcakes and of course, the peppermint candy canes. If they run out on food, Gabriella, Taylor and Chad and the others can all make more of them.

"Do you guys want to put these home first?" Troy asked, because he was carrying two large bags, and so was Chad.

"Yeah," Chad agreed. "They're heavy!" He complained.

"Jeez, you guys are behaving like ten-year-old kids!" Gabriella hissed through gritted teeth.

"Hey, we are actually carrying really heavy shit, would you like to _help_ us?" Chad retorted, which Taylor rolled her eyes at the two of them.

"Let's go back to deposit those bags."

/

**14 December 2012, 3:12PM  
Trident Mall, On the Escalator**

"Holy shit, it's three already! No wonder I'm starving!" Chad exclaimed, his eyes on the digital clock of the mall.

"Damn straight!" Troy agreed and they headed towards the food court.

After a meal and four cups of smoothies later, they began to search for gifts for one another.

Same thing goes every year; they would go separate ways, the girls and the guys and go into different shops to hunt for the perfect gift for one another. Usually the guys would either buy flowers or chocolates or teddies, and the girls would get the guys action figures, or comic books, or just a video game or records.

"Oh, man, what should I even get her this year?" Chad asked Troy, panicking that it would turn out like last year when Taylor flipped the box of chocolates at Chad's face, or the other years where Chad either gets flowers stuck in his afro or cake on his shirt.

"Dude, just do what I do," Troy suggested like what he always did were no big deal, and that was to write a card.

"You're good at it, I'll probably mess it up and then she'll just shred it away," Chad whined, and then shivered at his thoughts. "Or maybe she'll dump me into the shredder as well! I'm too young to die, Troy, please save me!" he screamed dramatically.

"Look, no one needs to die on Christmas, alright? Just chill, bro, and maybe you could buy her a new pair of new shoes or something," Troy proposed with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Yeah, I could," Chad nodded his head slowly, thinking about the dangers of a pair of shoes. "But let's avoid stilettos and anything sharp in the design of that pair of said shoes, shall we?"

"Dude, you're being all paranoid now!" Troy laughed at his friend's silliness and they entered a potential shop where they could get their gifts for the girls.

With the girls, they were looking at shelves of video games and comic books.

"Does Troy have DOTA yet?" Gabriella asked herself more than she asked her friend. "Oh, wait, I think he does… But, no, I don't think he has it… And it's like, really out dated."

"Hmm, why not pick a gift for Chad first? He'd be happy with anything," Taylor said amusedly and Gabriella acquiesced, because she wanted to get Troy's gift first, but oh well.

"I can get Chad a cooking pot and he'd be contented," Gabriella joked and Taylor laughed in unison because they knew how true it was.

"And same goes for Troy. He'd love whatever you give him, even if it's just a pencil," Taylor told her friend, hoping she had gotten her main point across.

"Still, I want to give him something special…" Gabriella trailed off when she saw the perfect gift – _Halo 4_.

She snatched it from the shelf and stared at it. This would be the gift for Troy. She knew he loved to play video games, especially the _Halo_ series and was really glad it was on sale here as well. Taylor walked to Gabriella, seeing that she has been holding onto a box for quite some time now.

"_Halo?_ Excellent choice," Taylor smiled, nudging Gabriella's arm with her elbow. "He's going to love it."

"Okay, so now it's time for Chad's gift," Gabriella giggled at the fact that Troy might be obsessed in playing this game.

"You know, I'm going to get Troy a car magazine, and Chad a babe magazine," Taylor considered, which made Gabriella laugh because of her choice of magazines she took.

"Okay, I'm going to get Chad a watch, hopefully he won't be late again," Gabriella said as they queued up to pay for the merchandises.

"Oh, right… Hey, maybe I can cook up dessert for him?" Taylor asked Gabriella, getting genuinely excited.

"Great idea!" Gabriella exclaimed, then pushing Taylor away to place those magazines back.

After she paid for _Halo 4_, they went to the nearest watch shop and picked out a watch for Chad, a 7ron watch, inspired by _Tron_. It has this bluish glow; they were positive Chad'll love it. Taylor then decided to bake a heart-shaped cookie for Chad, to show him her true feelings, but then was afraid that she would be too blatant. Gabriella encouraged Taylor to go for it and Taylor also said she was going to make a cookie and then put blue icing on top, spelling 'Troy' for him. Satisfied with her ideas, they went to meet the guys at the food court since it was five already.

The guys had already gotten their gifts for the girls; Chad getting Taylor a yellow ballet flats, because he was serious about nothing pointy on the shoes, and getting Gabriella a scrapbook set, since she had complained to them some time ago that she would want that as a gift for Christmas. As for Troy, he bought a card for Taylor, because he was great at writing them, so he chose one for her and another for Gabriella.

"So, what did you get me?" Chad asked cheekily when the four met up at the food court to go back down the escalator.

"Am I even supposed to tell you?" Taylor sighed in an annoyed tone, which Troy and Gabriella snickered at Chad's stupidity in asking those idiotic questions.

Chad laughed nervously at Taylor, then looked away and kicked himself inside, screaming "fuck it" in his head, because he can never seem to get Taylor. Troy cleared his throat and gave his best friend a pat on the back, shaking his head.

"She's just afraid to show it that she actually likes it," Troy whispered to Chad when the girls are far ahead at the sidewalk, which he was taken aback.

"What?"

Troy merely gave him a lazy smiled and picked up the pace to walk next to Gabriella, putting an arm around her shoulder. They talked and laughed, leaving Chad to stand there, dumbfounded, before he shook himself out of his trance and jogged up to the three of them to head home.

/

**14 December 2012, 5:41PM  
The Boltons' Place, Troy's Bedroom**

"I am officially beat," Chad sighed out loud as he crashed onto Troy's bed.

"Aw, shit dude, the sheets are clean!" Troy complained, pulling Chad to the ground, which he moaned upon contact with the floor.

"And I'm not?" Chad groaned, sitting up on the floor.

"Ew, I do not want to begin commenting on that," Taylor scrunched up her nose and scooted further away from Chad.

They then decided to put their gifts back home first, since they still have to wrap them, or something. Not long later, then went over to Chad's apartment since he would be cooking for his three guests. Chad lives near to the central area of the town, which was near the mall and the hospital, and Troy's place was just a little bit further, closer to the edge of the cliffs, where the sea would be splashing against the rocks there. Taylor lives near Chad, just one block away. Actually, the both of them moved to Trident Town because of Troy and Gabriella. The town is just great and they decided to come live with their friends.

Troy and Gabriella walked over to Chad's place by seven, because that's the time they were told to arrive. Taylor made her way to Chad's about five minutes later and now they were enjoying what Chad has cooked up for them, and it was Mac and Cheese.

"Seriously, dude, I could have made this myself too," Troy said sarcastically when he looked onto his plate.

"Ah, that may be so, but can you do it as good as it is?" Chad challenged. "Go on, take a bite. Then tell me…"

Troy scooped up a spoonful of macaroni and cheese and chewed on it. He nodded and a smiled appeared on his once deadpanned face.

"This is actually good," Troy said, with another mouthful of Mac and Cheese.

"How did you think I won the competition then?" Chad yelled unbelievably.

After some small talk and some laughs and of course the dishes, Gabriella excused herself to the toilet. That was when Troy leaned forward in his seat and huddled with Taylor and Chad.

"Okay, so Brie's birthday is in four days. We _have_ to plan a surprise party for her. Ronnie's is booked for that night, so we have to plan it elsewhere. I'm thinking my house would be the perfect place," Troy rambled on, but once he heard the door open, they quickly sat back in their seats and pretended like nothing happened.

Troy flipped opened his phone and sent a text to Gabriella's mother.

**Hi Mrs. M, could you call Brie and say you need her at home? I need to speak with Chad and Taylor about her upcoming surprise birthday party. Thanks!**

"Who're you texting," Gabriella asked off-hand as she sunk back into the sofa chair.

"My Mum," Troy lied coolly. "I just told her I got the decorations."

At that moment, Gabriella's phone rang. Her Mum called her and told her that she's needed, because she had to help her get another bag of sugar. The nearest grocery store was about to close, so she left first, leaving the three to resume their conversation where they left off.

"Alright, so where were we?" Troy asked, backtracking where they were at.

"I believe you were talking about the party?" Chad questioned, getting a little bit confused.

Troy and Taylor rolled their eyes in unison and let out a little growl before they appointed out the roles.

"Chad will be in charge of food and music," Troy was saying, "And Taylor, you'll be in charge of the invitations."

"And you?" Chad asked, getting a little angry at why he didn't have to do anything.

"I'll be decorating the house, and I want to make her believe that we're going to Ronnie's, but we're actually not," Troy looked at Taylor.

"I know what to do," she gave him a prompt and smug reply.

"Great. I was thinking blindfolds would work," Troy suggested.

"Yeah, we can drive her around the neighbourhood and all that just to think we're actually going to Ronnie's, when in fact we end up at your house," Chad laughed.

"Precisely," Troy nodded just as he received a text.

**Troy, today's Friday. We made a promise Fridays are movie nights!**

Troy smiled at the message he received from Gabriella. It was true. All Fridays were movie nights, well at least when they were with each other, or they can't watch a movie together. They actually made it a promise to have all Fridays reserved for each other since High School, because Troy was always busy with either girls or basketball and didn't really have time for Gabriella anymore.

_When they were back in High School, they lived beside Mrs. Gordon, with a new member in the house, Chad. He lives with them, because he had a big fight with his older brother Jordan and they just fell out. Chad was tentatively staying with them for a couple of days, but that turned out to be years. The guys were always busy with basketball practice and those friendly matches and competitions with various teams around Albuquerque. Gabriella was in the Scholastic Decathlon Team, but like Taylor, they had a passion for cooking and baking. They actually met Taylor in High School._

_Troy quickly became popular with the girls and he was mad at himself for falling in love with his best friend, so he avoided her. Big time. He told himself that he had to stay away from Gabriella and not let his feelings get between their friendship and this ignorance was sure to help him. But he was wrong. So wrong._

_See, because he started avoiding Gabriella, even though they live together, that's kind of impossible, but he still found a way to ignore her at school and just not talk to her at home. Troy Bolton started dating other girls. But let's understand his situation here. He did it to forget about his feelings for Gabriella. For a period of time, Troy changed into someone whom he wasn't, and on typical Fridays, Chad, Troy and Gabriella would stay home to either watch a movie, or play some games, or just hang out. But those times became shorter and shorter until they never happened at all. Until one Friday, when Gabriella was alone at home, she got a call from Troy._

"_**Uh, hey, Brie, I know we haven't been hanging out too often, and I'm at the mall, so would you like to come and we can catch a movie together?" Troy asked, sounding hopeful.**_

"_Sure, I'll meet you there in five," Gabriella answered quickly._

_She was finally happy again because Troy was willing to hang with her again. Little did she know that after the call, Troy received another call, from his current girlfriend, Stacey._

_Stacey was in the same Homeroom class as them, and took a few of the same subjects as they did. She was Troy's third girlfriend now. The first was Ellie, which they broke up because Troy was spending too much time with Gabriella that she doesn't think she's his girlfriend anymore. The second was Giselle, but she cheated on Troy with another couple of guys, so Troy was through with her. And now, Stacey. All three of them were blonde and cheerleaders, only Stacey was now head cheerleader. They only got together last week._

_Stacey called Troy and told him to meet her at MacDonald's for dinner. Troy agreed, because she was his girlfriend and he totally forgot about Gabriella. She stood at the theatre for an hour, then another hour. She walked around the level of the cinema, checking to see if Troy was waiting for her at another place. She tried calling him, but he didn't pick up his phone. She got worried. What if something bad happened to Troy and she was still stupidly standing there waiting for him to arrive? She decided to check the entire mall. When there was not much hope left, she saw Troy at the corner of her eye._

_Her best friend was sharing saliva with his current girlfriend. It was so heated that if they didn't take it home, things would get crazy out there. 'He stood me up,' was that one thought going through her head. Gabriella's jaw hit the floor. Infuriated, she stomped up to him and screamed at him._

"_TROY ALEXANDER BOLTON! How could you just call me and say you wanted to watch a movie with me, then run away to this place and start kissing Stacey? I get it, she's your girlfriend, but could you at least tell me you were busy rather than make broken promises? I have been standing out there waiting hours for you! I searched the whole mall, and here you are, making out with your girlfriend. And I was there, still thinking something bad may have happened to you._

_Troy, you've changed. You once told me you'll never date anyone until you get out of school, but I guess things changed. We once spent every Friday night together, just doing random things and hanging out. But I guess all of that has changed. You're not the Troy I know anymore. You're not the Troy I love anymore. You don't even act like my best friend anymore! You're always busy but I can understand that. What I don't get is that you don't even make an effort to make time with me! Instead, you avoid me in school, you ignore me at home; what did I ever do to you that made you hate me so much? _

_You know what? I'm done here. You can continue sucking lips with your bitch right there, because I don't fucking give a damn anymore!" _

_Gabriella let her tears fall down her cheeks as she made her way back to the apartment. She kicked the door open, which startled Chad, who was watching his favourite cooking channel. Her vision was blurred by her constant tears and after she closed the door, she leaned against in and she cried harder as she slid down to the floor, her knees bent and her arms covering her face._

"_Gabs, what happened? I thought you were supposed to be watching a movie with Troy?" Chad went to sit beside her, rubbing her shoulders to calm her down._

"_He stood me up," she told him with a quivering and broken voice, her tears still cascading down her already red cheeks._

"_I swear, I will kill him," Chad said through gritted teeth and he stood up and opened the door._

"_No!" Gabriella yelled at him to stop, but it was already too late, Chad was off to find Troy._

_Chad was only a few steps away from the apartment block when he saw a figure running towards him. Troy._

"_What the fuck, man! How could you do this to her?" Chad let his anger course through his veins and whacked him hard on his arm._

"_I know, I messed up!" Troy matched Chad's level of tone._

"_You know? You're not even doing anything about it!" he yelled back, genuinely furious that his friend would do this to Gabriella._

"_Look, do you think I want this? I see her every day, and I can't have her every day, because I'm such a fucking wimp, it fucking kills me inside, do you fucking know that?" Troy screamed, his tears falling as well, but only because he was angry at himself for letting things get this far to hurting his best friend since forever._

"_You are lucky she's forgiving," Chad softened his tone and looked at his friend._

"_I'm sorry, man," Troy whispered, and then he went up the stairs to make things right with Gabriella._

Troy sure was lucky Gabriella forgave him easily, and thus this Friday movie night promise was made. From then on, Troy never dated any girl again, and all was good between the both of them. Although until now none of them still got the guts to tell the other person how they truly feel.

Nevertheless, something magical was about to happen that could change _everything_ this Christmas.

**Author's Note (Part 2):**

**Okay, I personally hate the ending, so just kill me. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because you'd have to wait a tad bit longer for the next chapter (like two weeks) so please stick with me still! Also, do leave me a review and tell me what you guys think. Oh, and maybe I'll be a little cheeky and ask for **_**at least**_** 10 reviews on this chapter, or no one gets Chapter 5! Lol, but I just wanted to read what you all got in mind, so, thank you all so much! **


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